ICVB: Istanbul Ranks 7th Congress City in the World
Istanbul ranks seventh across world cities in convention tourism and is marching toward securing a place in the top five, according to the top executive of the Istanbul Convention & Visitors Bureau, or ICVB, on Tuesday.
“Ranking as the seventh top destination for world congresses is a great success for the city,” said Elif Balcı Fisunoğlu, general manager of ICVB, speaking at the meeting held in Istanbul on Tuesday. “We are dedicated to achieving better results in the future.”
Istanbul ranked as the sixth top destination for convention tourism, attracting a total of 46,374 visitors last year with 109 congresses.
The service quality and the importance given in marketing and promotion activities will increase the number of congresses in Istanbul, according to Fisunoğlu.
“With right price policies, Istanbul should never leave the competition,” she said, recalling that Barcelona, Paris, Berlin and Vienna have ranked among the top destinations for congresses for the last 50 years.
As the city becomes a highly preferred congress city, the demand for decent hotels will rise, according to the ICVB manager. “Nearly 40 new hotel investments will be completed in two years.” Noting that the number of five-star hotels meets the demand for now, she said, “We will need more three- and four-star hotel investments.”
Istanbul is a candidate city to host the AIDS Congress in 2014 with the participation of approximately 25,000 people from all around the world, she said.
Turkey’s national flag carrier, Turkish Airlines, or THY, which started direct flights to Iraq’s central province of Necef recently, flies to a total of 142 destinations directly, said Temel Kotil, general manager of the airlines. “THY has already placed orders for 10 planes to fly to African countries and is readying to start direct flights to Manila, the capital of the Philippines soon, to support congress tourism in the country,” he said.
Istanbul was able to host only 23 congresses in 1999 but hosted a total of 80 congresses by the end of 2009, according to figures from the International Congress and Convention Association. Hosting 109 congresses by the end of last year, the city has climbed from 17th to seventh in the top destination rankings.
July 5, 2011
SOURCE: Hürriyet Daily News
