The Alanya Tourist Operators Association (ALTİD) weekly regular board of directors meeting was held under the chairmanship of ALTİD President Cem Özcan. Sharing the weekly activity report and the projects planned to be implemented in the upcoming period with the board members, Özcan made evaluations regarding current developments closely related to Alanya tourism.
Speaking at the meeting, ALTİD President Cem Özcan stated that the regulation brought to the agenda in the Grand National Assembly of Türkiye, which will pave the way for international online reservation platforms to operate in Türkiye again, is an important step for the sector. Expressing that digital reservation channels have become decisive in travel planning today, Özcan said, "The resumption of operations in Türkiye by one of the world's most powerful reservation platforms, such as Booking.com, will increase our country's international visibility and accessibility. This regulation will positively affect not only digital reservation channels but also Türkiye's competitiveness in international tourism. Strong collaborations with global platforms are of great importance for the sustainable growth of the tourism sector."
Stating that it is also a significant development for the sector that digital platforms will transfer a tourism share to the Türkiye Tourism Promotion and Development Agency (TGA) with the new regulation, Özcan reminded that they will provide a contribution at a rate of 5 per ten thousand of companies' turnovers and that it will become mandatory for them to open legal representative offices in Türkiye.
DIGITALIZATION IS TRANSFORMING TRAVEL HABITS
Stating that digitalization and artificial intelligence technologies are rapidly changing travel habits in the tourism sector, Özcan expressed that personalized and experience-oriented travel plans are replacing standard package tours today.
Özcan said, "Travelers no longer act solely based on price. Accommodation quality, digital accessibility, user experience, and the unique cultural values offered by the destination are among the fundamental elements determining travel preferences. Thanks to online reservation systems, virtual tour applications, and artificial intelligence-supported planning tools, travel organization is becoming much more flexible, fast, and customizable."
At the meeting, the extension of the foreign currency conversion support application until January 31, 2027, as per the decision published in the Official Gazette, was also evaluated.
Stating that the decision would contribute to the financial sustainability of tourism enterprises, Cem Özcan used the following expressions: "We welcome the continuation of the foreign currency conversion support at a rate of 3 percent. This application will significantly contribute to cash management while easing the financing burden of our enterprises. We evaluate it as an appropriate and positive regulation for our sector."
The meeting concluded after the evaluation of the studies carried out for Alanya tourism and the exchange of views regarding the projects planned to be implemented in the upcoming period.