Brought life to the tourism economy.

The identity-based transit process initiated between Ukraine and Turkey has made Ukraine one of our country's most important markets. Mehmet Dahaoğlu, Deputy Chairman of the Alanya Tourism Promotion Foundation, stated, "We hosted 1,386,000 visitors from this country in 2018."

The international tourism fair UITT 2019, held in the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv, opened its doors with the participation of 300 companies from 22 countries. The 25th edition of the fair featured 17 participants at the 300-square-meter stand of the Turkish Ministry of Culture and Tourism. Alanya was represented at the fair by Mehmet Dahaoğlu, Vice President of the Alanya Tourism Promotion Foundation (ALTAV) and the Alanya Tourism Operators Association (ALTİD). Sharing his impressions of the fair, Dahaoğlu stated that the design, organization, and location of the Ministry's stand were noteworthy, and that the Turkish stand surpassed those of other fairs, earning the appreciation of hotel operators and travel agency representatives.

"The option to pass through with identification has increased tourist flow."

Dahaoğlu stated that the Ukrainian market is developing year after year for Turkey. "In 2016, 1,004,045 people visited our country, followed by 1,028,487 in 2017 and 1,038,698 in 2018. The possibility of crossing borders with identity cards, thanks to the efforts of our Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu, is one of the main reasons for this increase."

'715,000 Tourists Visited ANTALYA.'

In 2018, the number of visitors to Antalya was 175,000 with Anex Tour, 118,000 with Coral, 113,000 with TUI, 80,000 with Join Up, 80,000 with Tez Tour/Kilit, 71,000 with Pegas, and a total of 715,000 people including others. This year, when we look at the exhibition area, we see that more agency representatives are visiting and showing greater interest compared to previous years.

'Election Break for Reservations'

The people of Ukraine are focused on the presidential election to be held on Sunday. It is highly likely that none of the three candidates will receive enough votes from here, and the election will go to a second round in three weeks. Therefore, there is currently a slowdown in reservations, but it is said that it will return to its previous pace after the elections. However, travel agents stated that they do not expect an increase due to the economic difficulties in Ukraine, and they aim to achieve the same figures as last year.

"IF SUPPORT IS PROVIDED, WE WILL FLY TO ALANYA."

The Alanya stand, located in a beautiful area, reached millions through an Instagram post. İzzet Etke, the Ukraine Manager of Coral Travel, stated that if sufficient support is provided for Gazipaşa Alanya Airport (GZP), flight planning can be initiated. He added that in 2018, sales to Egypt exceeded sales to Turkey. In our meeting with our Tourism Advisor, Berat Yıldız, we discussed the importance of GZP for Alanya and the necessity of providing direct flights," he said.