Alanya is being promoted in Latvia.

Alanya is being promoted at the 25th Balttour tourism fair, held in Riga, the capital of Latvia, from February 2nd to 4th. At the fair, which is held in a country with a population of 1.9 million, Alanya is being represented by Mehmet Dahaoğlu, Vice President of the Alanya Tourism Promotion Foundation (ALTAV) and the Alanya Tourism Operators Association (ALTİD). Dahaoğlu, reporting from Riga, shared the following information about his meetings and the data he obtained:

“KIDY TOUR OPERASYON IS STARTING.”

The majority of Latvian tourists visiting our country prefer Antalya. When looking at the number of people visiting Turkey, we see 59,000 in 2015, 34,000 in 2016, and 45,000 in 2017. In 2017, 24,000 of the visitors chose Antalya by purchasing tours through travel agencies. The largest tour operators in the Balkans, Teztour and Novaturas, are sharing this figure. With the addition of Kidy Tour, which will begin operations in the region in 2018, the total target of these three operators for this year is to bring 30,000 guests to Antalya.

“THY is popular in the country.”

Alanya is quite popular here, just as it is in Lithuania. Harun Köse, Regional Manager of Turkish Airlines (THY) for Latvia, stated that THY is very well-received here and that they are carrying more and more people from the Baltic region each year. He also mentioned that they are participating in the fair with a separate booth, in addition to the Ministry, and that they are ready to collaborate in every area when the topic is Turkey.

“THERE IS A TURKISH MARTYRS' CEMETERY.”

Köse stated that while flights operate five times during the winter months, they run daily during the summer. He also mentioned that in 2018, the 100th anniversary of the Baltic organization will be celebrated with major events in Estonia and Lithuania in February, and in Latvia in November. He added that Turkish visitors can also visit the Turkish Cemetery in Cesis, which is 80 kilometers from Riga. This is the location where the remains of 26 soldiers who died in the war, known as the "93 War" according to the Rumi calendar, which took place in the years 1877-1878, are buried.

"HOTEL BUSINESSES ARE SUPPORTING AGENCIES."

At Balttour, the Ministry promoted Turkey on an area of 45 square meters, and Alanya, along with Kemer, represented the region. Many hotel operators from Alanya participated in the fair to support travel agencies. The hotel operators promoted themselves under the same umbrella as the tour operators, also supporting the Alanya brand. Additionally, the Ambassador of the Republic of Turkey to Riga, Mr. Hayri Hayret Yalav, visited our stand. We provided him with detailed information about our activities.