The international Ferie For Alle Herning fair, held in the city of Herning, Denmark, served as a platform to showcase Alanya's unique beauty and tourism potential.
The Alanya stand at the Ferie For Alle Tourism Fair, held between February 23rd and 25th, attracted great interest from visitors. During the fair, visitors had the opportunity to learn about Alanya's magnificent beaches, historical castles, and natural beauty.
"The appeal of the SICAK SALES FAIR is increasing."
Şükrü Cimrin, a member of the Board of Directors of the Alanya Tourism Promotion Foundation (ALTAV) and the Deputy Chairman of the Alanya Tourism Operators Association (ALTİD), who represented Alanya at the fair, made the following remarks regarding the fair: "As ALTAV, we participated in the Ferie For Alle Tourism Fair in Herning, Denmark, from February 22nd to 24th, 2024. Ferie For Alle, which was included in the fair calendar by TGA this year, is the largest consumer fair held within the Scandinavian countries. From the first day and the first hour, visitors from all over Denmark made vacation purchases at the stands of tour operators and travel agencies throughout the fair. The total number of visitors during the three-day fair was approximately 60,000. In general, while many tourism fairs see tour operators avoiding renting stands and preferring to spend on advertising in digital channels, at Ferie For Alle, tour operators are not hesitant to rent large spaces. The main reason for this is that vacation decisions are made at this fair, and direct sales are conducted."
"ALANYA STAND EXPERIENCES A HUGE INFLUX OF VISITORS."
"Türkiye participated in the fair with a large stand, organized by TGA and our Copenhagen Culture and Tourism Attaché Office. Within the Turkish stand, there were representatives from hotels, Turkish Airlines (THY), Marmaris Dalaman Airport, ALTAV, and the Copenhagen Culture and Tourism Promotion Attaché Office. During the fair, visitors to the Turkish stand received information and materials about Turkey and the tourism destinations and products that Turkey offers. At our stand, where visitors were offered Maraş ice cream with animation, visitors had enjoyable moments and formed lines for the ice cream. Social media content created during these presentations reached thousands of people. In collaboration with Turkish Airlines, visitors were given airplane tickets through a raffle. Visitors to the Alanya stand received Alanya promotional brochures, Alanya bags, souvenirs related to Alanya, and Alanya calendars for 2024. Throughout the fair, the Alanya stand was visited by many people who wanted to learn more about Alanya and ask questions on various topics."
"Promotion strategies were discussed."
"TGA Product Marketing Manager Ceylan Şensoy delivered presentations to tourism professionals, explaining Turkey's efforts in sustainability and the diversity of products available in Turkey. In our meeting with Copenhagen Promotion Attaché Derya Şerbetçi Acar, we exchanged views on this year's Turkey promotion strategy. We conveyed our readiness to provide all possible support regarding her valuable work and the 2024 planning. We held meetings with two separate groups of travel bloggers. As ALTAV, we have initiated the work and planning to host them in Alanya during the spring months of 2024."
"ALANYA-GZP flight sales are going well."
"We held meetings with the managers of tour operators who bring tourists to Türkiye and who have stands at the fair. In our meeting with Carlos Cebrian, the Manager of Spies Rejser, we learned that Türkiye sales are at the same level as last year, that they aim to maintain the figures achieved last year, and that they are targeting to exceed that. Spies Rejser will continue to fly to Antalya and Alanya-Gazipaşa Airport (GZP) in 2024. In our meeting with Jan Lockhart, the Manager of Sunweb, we were informed that they aim to bring 65,000 Danish tourists to Türkiye in the 2024 season, that the Alanya region is selling very well, and that they will continue to fly from three airports: Copenhagen, Billund, and Aalborg. With a decision made last summer, Corendon has designated Alanya-Gazipaşa Airport as a "base" for flights from Belgium, the Netherlands, and Denmark, and accordingly, will operate 5 flights per week from Denmark to Gazipaşa during the summer season. Deniz Jensen, the Manager of Corendon in Denmark, who is entering their third season as a tour operator in Denmark, stated that the Alanya region is selling well and that sales are fluctuating but remain above a certain level. Corendon plans to bring 35,000 tourists from Denmark to Türkiye this year. This year's planning represents a 35% increase compared to the 25,000 figure achieved last year. Corendon's summer operation in Denmark will take place between May 8th and October 27th. We conveyed to Deniz Jensen that our expectation is for the season to be kept long by our tour operators, especially extending it to mid-November."
"TARGET: EXCEEDING 350,000 VISITORS IN DENMARK"
In 2023, 330,000 people traveled from Denmark to Turkey. The previous year, this figure was 350,000. The target for 2024 is to exceed 350,000 again. Denmark, within the Scandinavian countries, stands out with certain characteristics. While citizens of other Northern European countries are more influenced by political developments and news reports, Danes tend to give less weight to these factors when making their vacation choices. However, last year's earthquake in Turkey affected not only the country itself but also Denmark. Furthermore, attempts to burn the Holy Quran in some Northern European countries, along with the NATO accession processes of Sweden and Finland, have been extensively covered in mainstream media, negatively impacting the demand for travel. Despite everything, in 2023, there was not a significant loss compared to the 2022 season. We can say that these political issues have now completely ended. This is the most important factor that will enable Danes to make their vacation decisions more quickly. Turkey remains a destination that Danes are loyal to and enjoy spending their vacations in.
"TURKEY'S BRAND VALUE IS STRENGTHENING."
TGA is working to promote Turkey's diverse tourism offerings, beyond the traditional "sea, sand, and sun," to tourism professionals worldwide, including in Nordic countries, and to raise awareness. To increase the number of travelers from Denmark, Alanya and Antalya alone are not sufficient. Therefore, in addition to including the Aegean region, TGA and our Promotion Attaché in Copenhagen are working intensively to attract Danish travelers with a wide range of products, including golf, cultural tours, health tourism, gastronomy, city explorations, and Cappadocia. Recently, a full-page article appeared in the influential Politiken newspaper, focusing on Michelin-starred restaurants and chefs in Istanbul. This is a very successful example of bringing internationally recognized brands to Turkey and strengthening Turkey's brand value. To achieve Turkey's goal of 100 million tourists, it is crucial to promote all of Turkey's natural beauty and diverse offerings, ensuring that people from all countries who have never visited Turkey before come to our country.
"Sustainability is influencing vacation choices."
It is important to remember that the concept of sustainability is very important for Danish tourists. Citizens of the Nordic countries, who live this concept in every aspect of their lives, pay attention to the sustainability and environmental awareness of the regions and businesses they choose for their holidays. Whether or not such efforts have been made or not can influence their choices. Especially in tourist destinations like Alanya, where the main attraction is the city itself rather than the hotels, the efforts made by tourist facilities alone are not enough. Local governments and all kinds of businesses must also be a part of this process and act within a long-term action plan, which is inevitable and necessary. In 2024, among the 200 countries that TGA promotes, the Scandinavian countries are one of the four regions where special efforts are being made. In the coming period, we will not only increase the number of tourists steadily but also continue to increase the diversity of tourists.