TÜRSAB President: We Must Promote Antalya’s Potential Beyond Mass Tourism
TÜRSAB (Association of Turkish Travel Agencies) President Firuz Bağlıkaya made significant statements at an iftar dinner held in Antalya. Bağlıkaya emphasized that Antalya had substantial potential not only in mass tourism but also in other tourism sectors, and he stressed the need to promote this potential.
Opening Speech by Onur Özer
In his opening speech, Onur Özer highlighted the unifying power of Ramadan and emphasized the importance of strengthening the solidarity among travel agencies to further enhance Antalya’s tourism potential. He stated that this gathering marked an important step towards developing the sector and boosting the tourism potential of Antalya.
Firuz Bağlıkaya’s Speech
Firuz Bağlıkaya addressed nearly 1,000 travel agency representatives, sharing developments around the world that could impact tourism. Bağlıkaya pointed out that the wars and conflicts in neighboring regions, along with rising trade barriers and political tensions, could negatively affect tourism. However, he stressed that the greatest assurance in navigating these challenges lied in the knowledge, experience, and expertise of travel agents.
The Importance of Travel Agencies and the Need for Support
Bağlıkaya underlined the vital role of travel agencies in sustaining all types of tourism. He stated that tourism could not thrive without travel agencies and emphasized the need for these agencies to be listened to and supported in shaping Turkey’s tourism future. TÜRSAB, he noted, continuously defended the importance of travel agencies and would continue to do so.
Antalya’s Potential Beyond Mass Tourism
Bağlıkaya also highlighted Antalya’s natural beauty, as well as its historical and cultural riches. He pointed out that Antalya, with its cultural heritage sites like Perge, Aspendos, Olimpos, and Myra, attracted a significant number of foreign tourists. Bağlıkaya noted that the tourism success Antalya enjoyed today is the result of many years of effort by travel agencies.
He stressed the needed to promote Antalya’s tourism potential outside of mass tourism. He emphasized that this potential had to be properly marketed so that everyone could recognize the wealth of opportunities it offers. Bağlıkaya expressed his belief that Antalya should not only be known for mass tourism but also for its diverse tourism offerings. He assured the audience that TÜRSAB would stand by travel agencies and work together to achieve new successes in the sector.
Conclusion
In his speech, Bağlıkaya emphasized the importance of promoting Antalya’s broader tourism potential and the critical role of travel agencies in the development of tourism. He reiterated that TÜRSAB would continue to support travel agencies in every step towards the growth of the sector and would advocate for their contributions across all platforms.
