The Alanya Tourism Promotion Foundation (ALTAV) promoted Alanya at the 15th Azerbaijan International Tourism Fair (AITF) held in Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan. The Alanya stand was located under the auspices of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism. Alanya was represented by the President of the Alanya City Council, Nurhan Özcan. Elvan Güneş, a Board Member of the Alanya Tourism Operators Association (ALTİD), also provided support for the promotion. Having assessed the atmosphere of the fair and making statements in light of their meetings, Özcan and Güneş noted the following:
“WAR ATMOSPHERE IS AN OBSTACLE TO HOLIDAYS”
The fair, organized by our Tourism Promotion Counselor Mr. Murat Karaçanta, was attended by 28 representatives from public institutions, organizations, and sectors across a 207-square-meter area. 330 companies from 29 countries participated in the 15th AITF. The fair, in which many countries participated with large stands, was visited by 10,000 people. It was conveyed to us that the number of visitors in 2015 was 9,100. While the population of Azerbaijan is approximately 10 million, about 4.5 million people live in Baku alone. Due to the drop in oil prices worldwide, Azerbaijan has experienced devaluation twice in one year. Due to the atmosphere of war the country is in, the number of Azerbaijanis who do not make holiday plans is also quite high.
“PRESIDENT ALIYEV INVITED TO ALANYA”
During the exhibition process, we gave interviews to many newspapers, magazines, and TV channels. We presented a flower-motif painting made from silk cocoons, which we had prepared in Alanya, as a gift to the Minister of Tourism of Azerbaijan, Mr. Zakir Qaralov. We made a request to the President of Azerbaijan, Mr. İlham Aliyev, who was the most important figure to visit our stand, to support Turkish tourism, and we invited him to Alanya. We provided him with important information about Alanya. Our Ambassador to Azerbaijan, Mr. Alper Coşkun, also visited our stand. We presented another silk cocoon painting that we had prepared in Alanya as a gift to our Ambassador. We presented the ALTAV plaque to our Counselor of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, Mr. Murat Karaçanta, for the support he has shown us. An increase in demand is expected for the year 2016. The reason for this expectation is the decrease in flight and hotel prices. The general preference of vacationers is 5-star and resort hotels. The Belek and Side regions are highly preferred.
“PASSENGERS ARE REGISTERED TO ANTALYA”
Summer Tour Commercial Director Mr. Mehmet Gilik stated that their flights have been temporarily canceled due to the malfunction of the aircraft they had leased, which are capable of landing at Gazipaşa-Alanya Airport, and that they are currently conducting research; he added that if they find aircraft capable of flying to Gazipaşa, they will resume flights to this airport. He expressed that the sales made so far have been redirected to Antalya.
“MEMBERS OF THE PRESS WILL BE HOSTED”
In 2016, we once again made efforts to host members of the press. Through a joint program with our Consulate and with the support of the ministry, we will once again host members of the press in Alanya in 2016.
GESTURE MADE TO THE FAMILY OF A MARTYR
In an organization to be held for martyr families on Mother's Day, we gifted a four-person holiday to a low-income martyr family. On the last day of the fair, we invited those who participated in the music feast we held with the Ministry to Alanya. In general, the fair was very productive and successful, and we were met with intense interest.