UK market is becoming increasingly important for Turkey and visitors from UK expected to increase by 20 percent next season

Tourism professionals from the Aegean region returned with high morale and positive impressions from the World Travel Market (WTM) Tourism Fair held in London from November 5-7, 2024. Mehmet İşler, President of the Aegean Touristic Enterprises and Accommodation Association (ETİK) and Vice President of the Turkish Hoteliers Federation (TÜROFED), highlighted that Turkey was among the top three most popular countries at the fair, alongside Spain and Greece.

Approximately 5,000 companies from 184 countries participated, with 51,000 professional visitors, and Turkey’s booths attracted significant attention.

20 PERCENT INCREASE EXPECTED IN NUMBER OF TOURISTS FROM UK TO VISIT TURKEY NEXT YEAR

İşler emphasized that the UK market was becoming increasingly important for Turkey and he expected to see a 20% increase in the number of British tourists visiting Turkey next season. He noted the need to increase bed capacity in the Aegean region and İzmir to accommodate more British tourists, explaining that İzmir was projected to close the 2024 season with around 2.5 million tourists, a figure that was still insufficient. İzmir’s goal, he stated, was to attract at least 5 million tourists—equivalent to the city’s population. To achieve this, he stressed the importance of directing popular Aegean tourist areas, like Çeşme, Alaçatı, Seferihisar, Gümüldür, and Pamucak, toward high-potential markets such as the UK.

Turkey’s stands at the fair focused on sustainable tourism, with displays that highlighted Turkish hospitality through rich offerings and comfortable meeting areas. Advanced digital art displays showcased Turkey’s tourism potential on cutting-edge screens, reinforcing its position as one of the world’s top five tourist destinations.

İşler pointed out that the UK is an increasingly important market for Turkey, with leading tour operators such as Jet2Holidays and TUI showing great interest in Turkey. He aims to channel this interest to benefit İzmir and noted that early booking requests are higher this year compared to last. İşler underscored the importance of a strong presence at major fairs, including London’s WTM and Turkey’s own EMITT, with larger promotional areas to boost İzmir and Aegean tourism. He called for local authorities to support the tourism sector to create sustained growth.

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