"Visitors are coming for a cultural tour."

Elvan Güneş, a member of the Board of Directors of the Alanya Tourism Promotion Foundation, said, "We will be hosting 10 representatives from travel agencies that specialize in cultural tours in Alanya. Our goal is to highlight Alanya's historical and natural beauty, in addition to the traditional 'sea, sand, and sun' offerings."

Alanya was promoted at the 41st International Belgrade Tourism Fair, held in Belgrade, the capital of Serbia, from February 21 to 24, 2019. Alanya was represented at the fair by Elvan Güneş, a member of the Board of Directors of the Alanya Tourism Promotion Foundation (ALTAV) and the General Secretary of the Alanya Tourism Operators Association (ALTİD). The Ministry of Culture and Tourism had a presence covering 150 square meters.

“A GROWING MARKET FOR THE LAST 2 YEARS”

Güneş, who shared his experiences and impressions of the fair, pointed out that the population of Serbia is 7,121,000, and that over 2 million people live in the capital, Belgrade. He stated, "The location of the fair was very important. The participation and number of visitors were also quite good considering the country's population." He also shared data received from the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, stating, "In 2016, 110,584 people visited our country; in 2017, 146,852; and in 2018, 225,312. As you can see, this is a continuously growing market. At the fair, we diversified our activities through various interviews and social media promotional activities, reaching thousands of people through these methods. In particular, our social media promotional campaign during the fair attracted great interest, and we gave away Alanya vacations to 2 couples."

“We want the GAZİPAŞA ALANYA Airport.”

During our meeting with Enver Babat, a member of the Board of Directors of Big Blue, a significant travel agency in the region that sells package tours to 109 destinations with a considerable market share, he stated that they reached 36,700 bookings in 2018 and planned for 45,000 in 2019, with the potential to reach 50,000 if demand is high. He also mentioned that they spent 530,000 euros on promotion in 2018 and aim to increase their presence in this market this year with significant promotional plans. He added that they will begin flying to Antalya on May 16, 2019, and will operate 17 flights per week from June 3, 2019, until October 23, 2019.

'EARLY BOOKINGS INCREASE BY 20 PERCENT'

During our meeting with Hakkı Alan, Contract Manager at Fibula Travel, one of the region's important agencies, he stated that this year, they have seen significant increases not only in Serbia but also in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Macedonia, Romania, and other markets. Last year, they reached a total of 122,000 visitors across all markets, and this year, they expect a general increase of 100-115%. He also mentioned that between April 23, 2019, and October 20, 2019, they will be flying to Antalya with 9 flights per week. Alan emphasized that Serbia is the driving force of the Balkans, that Turks are very well-received there, and that we should take advantage of this situation. He explained that they have set up a large stand at the fair with the participation of many hotel operators, and that they are facing high demand, with early booking sales increasing by 20% compared to last year.

'Package prices increased by 10 percent.'

Şahin Bektaş, a partner at 1 Travel, stated that they brought 8,500 people in 2018, reached 11,000 people in 2015, and plan to exceed 2015 this year with a target of 14,400 people. He stated that sales have been good so far, and that between May 19th and October 14th, they have planned 6 flights per week to Antalya. He also noted that the Serbian market is the most important market in the Balkans, and that Turkey has gained an important place in world tourism in terms of price-quality balance. Despite a 10% increase in package prices, he stated that sales are at a satisfactory level.

"Egypt Operations to Relocate to Antalya."

Christian Tour, one of Romania's largest tour operators, has begun selling trips from Serbia to Turkey for the first time this year. In our interview with Zdravko Maknik, the manager of Christian Tour, he stated that they will start with 11 flights this year, as it is the first year of operations, and that they may shift some of their Egypt operations to the Antalya region depending on the situation.

"MINISTER OF TOURISM VISITS ALANYA BOOTH"

The Minister of Tourism of Serbia visited our stand and we presented him with a handcrafted wooden Alanya-themed agenda with a cover, prepared by Alanya Municipality. During this time, which was accompanied by a large press team taking photographs, we had a conversation with him and invited him to Alanya.

“A trip to Alanya will be organized.”

We will be hosting 10 agency representatives in Alanya, all of whom specialize in cultural tours, with one having 75,000 followers. This will be a promotional tour showcasing Alanya's historical and natural beauty, in addition to the traditional "sea, sand, and sun" attractions. We will also arrange a face-to-face meeting of 2 hours with agencies in Alanya that offer cultural packages. The date will be determined in conjunction with Mr. Mehmet Alagöz, our THY Serbia Director, as part of a program. Furthermore, as a result of our discussions with Marko Tadić, an important travel and fashion blogger, we have reached an agreement for him to visit Alanya.

Alanya will be visited before stops in Russia and Istanbul. The visitor expressed great interest in Alanya's banana fiber project.

"They are working like TANIRIM's ambassadors."

Our Ambassador, Mr. Bilgiç, our Sarajevo Advisor, Mr. Demiral, and the General Manager of THY, Mr. Alagöz, have created such a wonderful synergy that they are all working like promotional ambassadors. We would like to thank them individually for their successful efforts.