A total of 39,086 people visited the fair over 3 days. Approximately 39 countries participated. Morocco, Tunisia, Egypt, USA, Thailand, Germany, Italy, Portugal, Croatia, Denmark, and Norway are among the participating countries.
We participated in the fair again with a diverse range of powerful promotional materials. The Danish-language Alanya city guide, Alanya city map, pens featuring the Alanya logo, evil eye beads, carpet evil eye charms, 2011 wall calendars featuring Alanya's historical and cultural fabric, Alanya posters, and the Alanya promotional DVD were the materials that received the most interest.
At the fair, which took place with the participation of over 150 countries, various holiday options ranging from safaris to golf were offered. The Turkey stand drew attention as the largest and most popular stand of the fair. Seeing the advertisement film of Türk Hava Yolları (THY) featuring Wozniacki and the giant posters, Danes showed great interest in the Turkey stand. On the first day of the fair, the Ambassador of the Republic of Türkiye to Copenhagen Berki Dibek visited the stand after the opening of the fair, chatted with the officials for a short time, and made a statement to the members of the press.
Additionally, as a result of the meetings we held with our Promotion Attaché Mr. Hasan H. Kınıklıoğlu during the fair, we received information from him that Alanya is particularly the most sought-after and curious holiday region in Denmark for the 2011 season, and that the most information regarding Alanya is requested from our consulate throughout the year. He stated that Alanya is always the greatest attraction in the Turkey stand and that a Turkey stand without Alanya cannot be imagined. The use of the image of Alanya Castle on the Turkey promotion poster at Copenhagen Airport is indicative of these words. Another indicator showing that Alanya is the most important destination for Denmark is that the most important place in the Turkey stand has been reserved for Alanya.
The other stands located immediately next to the Alanya stand are the Antalya Golf Club, THY A.O., and the General Turkey stands. Stating that approximately 315 thousand Danes visited Türkiye last year, Copenhagen Tourism and Promotion Counselor Hasan Hüseyin Kınıklıoğlu said that the caricature crisis has been left behind. Noting that the number of Danes coming to Türkiye has risen well above the decline experienced following the caricature crisis, Kınıklıoğlu stated that there was a 6.20 percent increase compared to 2009 despite the global financial crisis, and they expect an increase of around 15 percent in 2011. Turkish tourism professionals said they expect thousands of Scandinavian tourists to prefer Türkiye due to Egypt and Tunisia being shaken by political uprisings and Spain and Greece being hit by the economic crisis.
Ferie i Bella is a consumer fair. Since almost all fair visitors are in the position of end consumers, all visitors are potential customers. Although some visitors had already made their decisions and completed their purchases for the 2011 summer season, they visited the Alanya stand at the fair to obtain the information they were curious about regarding the city. Among the visitors who attended the fair, those who own homes in Alanya expressed their satisfaction upon seeing our stand and stated that Alanya has always been a second home to them. However, the most interest was shown by Danes who had not visited Alanya before and wished to visit Alanya for the summer of 2011. Examining the brochures we provided about the city with great curiosity and listening to the information we shared, the visitors expressed that they would definitely come to Alanya. Since the developing events in Egypt and Tunisia cover almost all of North Africa in terms of perception, there is intense interest this year in Turkey, especially in Alanya for summer holidays and Istanbul for winter holidays. The fact that the Morocco stand, located right next to us at the fair, received very little interest despite all their efforts is the greatest proof of this.
ALANYA'S POSITION IN THE MARKET
Alanya stands out and maintains its position as the most preferred destination for Danes in Türkiye. According to the Promotion Counselor, Alanya is the region that is most easily sold and attracts the most interest in the market. Alanya hotels are inevitably included in the catalogs of all tour operators with operations in Türkiye. Furthermore, Alanya holds an important place in the promotional campaigns for Türkiye conducted by the Denmark Promotion Counselor. In addition to this, we will carry out some joint studies within the year 2011 together with both the Promotion Counselor and ALTAV. This will mostly be related to the active promotion of Alanya in the Danish media.
RISKS FOR ALANYA - RECOMMENDATIONS and COMPETITIVE STATUS
First of all, prices in the service sector are very expensive in Denmark, and especially in Copenhagen. The main reason Alanya is the preferred choice is its affordable prices. The second most important criterion is Alanya’s climate and sea. The third criterion is the taste and freshness of its food, as well as shopping opportunities. In terms of history and culture, the Ephesus region and Istanbul stand ahead of Alanya in terms of perception. For the upper-middle class, whom we can call the 50 plus group, the priority preference is golf and cultural tourism. The sport of golf, in particular, is the biggest reason why upper-middle-class Danes prefer Belek. One of the most frequently asked questions at the fair is whether Alanya has a golf center. As for the Danes who prefer Belek and Side, the subject they are most curious about is how they will provide daily transportation to Alanya. Families with children between the ages of 35 and 50 prefer the all-inclusive concept the most, but they are also very interested in nature and cultural day tours that they can participate in with their families. People between the ages of 18 and 35 are very interested in the city's nightlife, daytime tours, and shopping opportunities. Visitors in this group prefer hotels and apartments in the city center the most.
Textile prices are very expensive in Denmark, and especially in Copenhagen. The fact that textile prices are affordable in Turkey and in Alanya is one of the most important attractions. They showed intense interest in the Istanbul Shopping Fest brochures at the Turkey stand. However, their biggest concerns regarding shopping in Alanya are price standards and the quality of sales staff. They are very sensitive to these two issues.
One of the most prominent characteristics of Danes is their interest in outdoor sports such as mountain biking, hiking, rafting, city cycling, and scuba diving. Some of the questions asked about Alanya were also related to these types of outdoor nature sports opportunities. For Danes who choose to stay in the city center, being able to access such activities is one of the most important reasons for their destination choice. The dense urbanization of Alanya city center creates a perception among Danes that there might be difficulties in accessing these types of activities. However, they state that when you mention they can easily access such opportunities on maps and in brochures—participating in mountain biking and hiking in the Alanya highlands, city cycling via the Call A Bike system in the city center, and scuba diving and similar outdoor activities around the Castle and various other points—they will choose Alanya for their holiday preferences.
Another subject that caught our attention is the high level of interest the Danes have in gourmet tourism. Particularly those from Copenhagen in the 40+ age category directed many questions regarding gourmet tourism in Alanya, influenced by the promotional impact of the Turkish wines at the Turkish stand next to them. The increasing number of high-quality restaurants in Alanya and the rise in service quality will lead to a significant increase in the number of Danes in this category, who are not very sensitive to price. The main reason for the density at the Italy stand is the intense interest shown by Danes in this category toward gourmet tourism in Italy. Gourmet tourism, as a concept of dining out which is a part of Danish culture and their greatest tool for socialization, is the greatest attraction for the upper-middle class (along with the sport of golf) when it comes to selecting a holiday destination. Another attraction is yacht tourism. The Danes attach great importance to yacht tourism, and the inclusion of the Alanya Marina in trade fairs through catalogs will be of great importance for the promotion of Alanya from now on.
The countries and cities that Alanya will compete with the most in terms of active type tourism are Croatia and especially Dubrovnik. Italy stands out in the competition with its gourmet tourism and shopping opportunities. Greece competes with its culture that resembles ours. Spain competes with its gourmet tourism, shopping opportunities, the sea-sand-sun trio, and nightlife. For the Denmark market, especially Croatia-Dubrovnik will be our number one rival in the coming years due to its yacht tourism opportunities, its emphasis on cultural tourism, its offensive move in gourmet tourism influenced by Italy, and its great importance placed on nature sports. In terms of history, Turkey-Italy-Greece are on equal footing, followed by Spain and Croatia.
RESULT
Since the Ferie İ Bella fair is held in the city of Copenhagen, it is of great importance for attracting middle-upper class Danes to Alanya. As it is a consumer fair, it has the chance to directly influence potential customers who may attend. However, since Danes and especially residents of Copenhagen fall into the active type and middle-upper class customer categories, it will be effective to provide documents that describe Alanya's outdoor activities, historical and cultural sites, gourmet sector, Alanya Marina, and shopping opportunities in a more extensive and detailed manner.
Additionally, as we shared with Undersecretary of Tourism Hasan H. Kınıkoğlu at the fair, many people from many countries come to Copenhagen to work and to have fun. This situation makes Copenhagen a place where active marketing must be conducted 365 days a year. The promotion carried out in Copenhagen is important in terms of reaching not only the people in Denmark but also the people in many other countries.
Due to the fact that the people of Copenhagen are trendsetters in every aspect for Northern European countries, it is of great importance to conduct continuous interactive promotion in order to attract middle-upper class Northern European tourists to Alanya.