179 Iranian tourists arrived in Alanya via an Airbus A320 passenger aircraft belonging to Freebird Airlines. Alanya Mayor Adem Murat Yücel, Alanya Association of Tourism Professionals (ALTİD) President Burhan Sili, Alanya Tourism Promotion Foundation (ALTAV) Vice President Mehmet Dahaoğlu, and other officials welcomed the flight crew and passengers with flowers. Due to the Nowruz Festival holiday that began in Iran on March 21, three flights per week will be operated to the district.
“DIALOGUES WITH IRAN HAVE BEEN FORMED”
In a statement made to journalists, President Yücel stated that it was important for the aircraft carrying the tourist group to fly from Iran to the district. Noting that the contraction in the tourism sector, which began with the Russian market and then jumped to Europe, has driven them to search for alternative markets, Yücel said, “We started with Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan. Dialogues have been established with Iran. We have also begun to reap the fruits of mutual meetings from Iran.”
“NUMBER OF IRANIAN TOURISTS WILL INCREASE 2-3 FOLD”
Pointing out that the Iranian people love Turkey, Yücel noted that 1 million 700 thousand Iranian citizens came to Turkey last year. Stating that this number will increase as long as relations with Iran remain good, Yücel said, “I believe the number of tourists coming from Iran will increase two to three times over. We should view the arriving tourists not as customers, but as our guests. I believe that with the increase in these flights, we will reach the point we desire in tourism.”
“WE HAVE REAPED THE FRUITS OF OUR DISCUSSIONS”
ALTİD President Sili, reminding that the Iranian market is an important market for Türkiye, stated that the economies of the two countries would develop even further with the lifting of the embargo. Expressing that Iran is a market that loves Türkiye very much, Sili spoke as follows: “We conducted a series of meetings in Iran last month. As a result of these meetings, we view the plane landing in Gazipaşa today as a fruit of the efforts we have made. We want to offset the negatives arising from the developments experienced in Türkiye with alternative markets,” he said.
“THERE ARE ALANYA ADVERTISEMENTS IN IRAN”
Emphasizing that the Iranian market is as important as the Russian market, Sili indicated that they would intensify their efforts at this point, stating, “I do not see a serious increase in the Iranian market for this year, but it is a significant development at the starting point of relations. Compared to the region, there will be a 50 percent increase in the Iranian market. We have observed that operators organizing tours from Iran to Turkey are prioritizing Alanya and have launched advertising campaigns. As tourism professionals, we will provide the necessary support for these developments.”
“FLIGHTS MAY INCREASE”
Freebird Havayolları Station Director Murat Turan also stated that a good start had been made and that flights via Iran could increase in the coming periods. Previously, flights from this country to Antalya airports could not be conducted due to the Iranian government's implementation of a flight ban.