Elvan Güneş, a member of the Alanya Tourism Promotion Foundation Board of Directors, said, "The fact that visa and passport requirements are not imposed for entry from Poland to Turkey plays an important role in encouraging citizens of that country to prefer our country."
Alanya was promoted at the ITTF Warsaw Tourism Fair, held in Warsaw, the capital of Poland, from March 16th to 18th. Elvan Güneş, a member of the Board of Directors of the Alanya Tourism Promotion Foundation (ALTAV), represented Alanya at the fair. Güneş held important meetings, gathered information about reservation numbers and flight plans, and provided an overall assessment.
"They can come to our country with just an ID card."
As the Alanya Tourism Promotion Foundation, we participated in the tourism fair held in Warsaw, the capital of Poland. In 2022, Poland ranked fourth among the countries sending the most tourists to Antalya, with 757,000 people, following Russia, Germany, and England. In Poland, which has a population of 38 million, approximately 5 million people go on vacation every year. The number of people who came to Turkey from Poland in 2022 was 1,136,000. Of this number, 850,000 people visited our country by purchasing package tours from travel agencies. In terms of the share we receive, this is a very important market for our country and region. The fact that passports and visas are not required for entry, and that they can travel with just their ID cards, has been an important factor in the increase in the number of visitors.
CORAL TRAVEL achieved a 40% early booking rate.
During our meeting with Kaan Ergün, CEO of Coral Travel, which conducts 53% of its operations in Poland, he stated that they brought 340,000 people during last year's season, which started late but later recovered. This year, their plans are for approximately 440,000 people, and they believe this number could increase further as long as demand continues to rise. They are planning flights from 5 cities in Poland and do not anticipate any issues regarding additional aircraft. So far, they have received early bookings for 40%, but they have experienced a period of hesitation due to the earthquake. They expect the reservations to return to normal in a short time.
RAINBOW will bring 60,000 tourists.
Macıej Nykıel, CEO of Nekera, stated that there is significant interest and demand from Poland, particularly for travel to Turkey and the Mediterranean region. Last year, they brought 70,000 people, and this year, they aim to reach a minimum of 100,000 passengers. Ziya Ünal, owner of Rainbow Tours, which primarily brings Polish tourists to the Alanya region, stated that they are planning for 60,000 passengers this year.
'Flights to Poland are expensive.'
In my meeting with Ersan Akarçeşme, the Sales Manager of Türk Hava Yolları, he stated that previously, flights from Poland operated seven days a week to Istanbul and three days a week to Antalya. However, due to not being able to obtain permission for more than 10 flights, they decided to cancel the flights to Antalya and redirect them to Istanbul. He also mentioned that the flights to Poland are very expensive, and that they will increase their profitability by operating connecting flights from Istanbul.
‘The promotion process will continue.’
The tourism agencies and tour operators we met with emphasized the significant support they received from our Ambassador to Poland, Mr. Cengiz Kamil Fırat, our Advisor from the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, Mr. Umut Aksungur, and our Trade Attaché, Ms. Betül Buke Karaçin, noting that they were always attentive and responsive, and that this represented a valuable opportunity for them. We, from ALTAV and Alanya, expressed our gratitude by presenting them with special gifts prepared by our Mayor, Adem Murat Yücel. We conducted a joint assessment of the current situation. To further increase the numbers, we will continue our promotional efforts throughout the year by bringing journalists and social media influencers to the Alanya region, and by implementing various planned projects. Alanya is a region that is very popular among Polish people.
"ALANYA BECOMES THE MEDITERRANEAN REPRESENTATIVE."
There were a total of 7 participants at the stand of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of the Republic of Turkey. Kuşadası, Marmaris, Corendon, Villa Tema Park Istanbul, Turkish Airlines, the Baialara Hotel from the Antalya Belek region, and Alanya were the only ones representing the Mediterranean region. The people of Poland enjoy going on vacation, especially cultural tours. It will not be difficult for Turkey to reach 2 million visitors in the coming years.
