Good news is coming from the tourism fair held in the Netherlands. Mehmet Dahaoğlu, Deputy Chairman of the Alanya Tourism Promotion Foundation, stated, "We are targeting at least a 30% increase, aiming for 500,000 tourists for the year 2019."
The Vakantiebeurs tourism fair, famous for its windmills, took place this year in Utrecht, Netherlands, opening its doors for the 49th time. While the fair ran from January 9th to 13th, the first day was dedicated to professional networking and business meetings, and the second day was open to the public, resulting in long queues at the entrance. The significant increase in interest compared to previous years was welcomed by tourism professionals. ALTİD President Burhan Sili, also a member of the Board of Directors of the Türkiye Otelciler Federasyonu (TÜROFED), and ALTİD and Alanya Turizm Tanıtma Vakfı (ALTAV) Vice President Mehmet Dahaoğlu represented Alanya at the fair. Dahaoğlu shared his impressions of the fair and information about the meetings held, stating:
"Dutch tourists stay an average of 8 nights."
Our consultancy participated with 30 private businesses and sector organizations in an area of 650 square meters. The Minister of Culture and Tourism, Mr. Mehmet Nuri Ersoy, attended and hosted a reception. In the Netherlands, which has a population of 17.2 million, 83% of the population spent money on vacations in 2018, an increase of 2% compared to the previous year, with a total expenditure of 19.8 billion euros. The average length of stay for Dutch guests is 8.1 nights.
"290,000 passengers arrived in Turkey via Corendon."
In an interview with Atilay Uslu, one of the owners of Corendon Touristic, the largest Turkish tour operator in the Netherlands, he stated that even during difficult years, they did not cancel their flights and consistently supported the Turkish market, preventing the region from declining. He also mentioned that they experienced a resurgence starting in 2017. In 2018, they sold vacations to 740,000 people from the Netherlands to various destinations, with 290,000 choosing Turkey. During the peak season, they operated 7-8 flights daily to Antalya alone. Currently, reservations show a 38% increase compared to last year, and their target for the end of the year is a 15% increase.
‘We are working on establishing a direct flight route between Amsterdam and Alanya.’
In 2019, they increased their fleet, reaching a capacity of 24 aircraft, with 4 of these being the new Max series. The Max series is manufactured by Boeing, and this series is being used in Turkey for the first time in partnership with Corendon. Currently, there are flights from Eindhoven to Gazipaşa Alanya Airport (GZP), but they are also working to offer flights from Amsterdam. At the fair, Corendon has the largest presence for Turkey, with a 324 square meter stand and support from 30 hotels.
THOMAS COOK AIMS FOR A 30% INCREASE.
Carola Hoekstra, the General Manager of Thomas Cook Netherlands, stated that sales are currently at the same levels as last year. In 2018, they sold holidays to Antalya for 26,000 people, but their plans for 2019 include a target of a 30% increase.
'SUNWEB' CONTINUES TO GROW.
According to a Sunweb representative, who spoke about the dynamics of this market, 25,000 people traveled to Antalya with them last year. Currently, their sales are good, and compared to the same period last year, they have achieved a 60% increase. While it is too early to provide definitive figures for 2019, they anticipate that this growth will continue at a rate of approximately 30% until the end of the year.
GOAL: TO GROW IN ANTALYA
Göksal Kaynak, Contract Manager at TUI, stated that after difficult years, they are entering a recovery period, but sales are still below expectations, and he hopes for improvement in the coming months. He mentioned that their goal is to grow in the Antalya destination, and that flights from Amsterdam to GZP will continue this year.
"SPAIN AND GREECE SEEING DECLINES"
After evaluating the discussions with all operators, we can say that, provided there are no negative developments, the trend for Turkey is rising, indicating its entry into a higher league. While Spain and Greece are experiencing declines, sales are increasing in Turkey and Egypt.
ANTALYA AIMS FOR 500,000 TOURISTS
Looking at the number of passengers using Antalya Airport, we see that in 2014 it was 489,820, in 2015 it was 434,842, in 2016 it was 306,280, and in 2017 it was 257,546. In 2018, there was a significant increase, reaching 374,237. This year, it is estimated that the number will increase by at least 30%, reaching 500,000.
ALANYA'S TARGET: 40,000 TOURISTS.
In 2018, the number of passengers traveling from the Netherlands to GZP was 33,105. In 2019, the target is 40,000 passengers. Another important piece of news comes from Transavia Airlines. Officials announced that they have submitted a flight plan for 2019 with a 21% increase.