Süha Özçakıl represented the Alanya Tourism Promotion Foundation (ALTAV) at the BALTTOUR Riga 2014 (Latvia) Tourism Fair. Conducting promotional activities in the Alanya section of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism stand, Özçakıl reported on his meetings as follows:
'THERE IS A 20 PERCENT INCREASE'
Alanya is very well known in Latvia. The Alanya stand, established under the umbrella of ALTAV, was one of the most visited city stands at the fair. We received information from officials that the number of Latvian visitors to Turkey increased by 20 percent from 45,725 people in 2012 to 55,058 people in 2013.
'ALANYA MUST RENEW ITSELF'
In addition, according to the information provided by Culture and Promotion Counselor Emel Yıldız, despite the expectation of an economic crisis in the Baltic countries in 2014, the Turkey destination ranks 1st, and Alanya stands out as the most popular city. Yıldız stated the necessity for Alanya to renew itself and create diverse areas of interest in order to preserve and increase this potential.
'HIGH INCOME LEVEL
'KESİM IS GOING TO ALANYA'
At the fair, we met with Cengiz Ötenkaya, an official of Prince Group and the Turkish agent for the operator Go Adventure. He stated that they fly with Onur Hava Yolları and reported that they could not fly to Gazipaşa because this airline does not have flights to Gazipaşa Airport. He expressed that their sales are up by 23 percent compared to last year and that 40 percent of their total capacity goes to Alanya. Ötenkaya emphasized that inflation has occurred due to the Baltic countries switching to the euro currency, that this situation affects purchasing power, and that for this reason, a higher-income segment is coming to Turkey more frequently.
'DEMAND IS REGISTERED IN ALANYA'
Ethem Okur, the General Manager and owner of Akay Travel Service, provided general information regarding the Baltic market. Okur stated that Turkey's service partner NovaTuras has been active in the Baltic market since 1996, and noted that although the company's passenger capacity was primarily concentrated in the Kemer and Belek regions during its early years, Alanya has made significant strides in recent years, capturing 60 percent of the capacity.
'FLIGHTS HAVE INCREASED TO 2'
Okudur stated that due to the high level of interest in Alanya, one flight per week from Vilnius to Gazipaşa Airport was planned last summer, but because of the success in early reservations, they increased the number of flights to 2 and that the flights continue until the middle of the season.
'POPULARITY HAS INCREASED'
Okudur also stated that due to Alanya being a social city and the integration of accommodation facilities with daily life and entertainment, its popularity in the Baltic countries has increased compared to Kemer and Belek, and because of this, sales have seen an 8 percent increase compared to last year. Furthermore, he expressed that Latvian travelers prefer 5-star hotels more frequently.
'LATVIAN PROMOTION HELD'
While materials such as Alanya promotional brochures printed in Latvian, calendars, bags, pens, bracelets, posters, and city maps were distributed to potential guests, Turkish delight and dried fruit treats were also offered at the Alanya stand.