NEW TRENDS IN TOURISM WORKSHOP HELD IN İSTANBUL WITH STRONG PARTICIPATION

The “Consultation Meeting with Tourism Sector Members and New Trends in Tourism Workshop” program was organized by the New Tourism Resources Development Committee of the Independent Industrialists and Businessmen Association (MÜSİAD) on Saturday, 15 February.

 

The “Consultation Meeting with Tourism Sector Members and New Trends in Tourism Workshop” program was organized by the New Tourism Resources Development Committee of the Independent Industrialists and Businessmen Association (MÜSİAD) on Saturday, 15 February.

 

At the workshop held with the participation of Deputy Minister of Culture and Tourism Nadir Alparslan, Vice President of the Association of Turkish Travel Agencies (TÜRSAB) Ali Bilir, Turkish Airlines (THY) Domestic Sales President Emre Menevşe, President of the Hajj and Umrah Travel Agencies Association (HURSAD) Diyaeddin Şahin, President of the International Halal Tourism Association (IHATO) Yusuf Gerçeker, Chairman of the Board of the Halal Accreditation Agency (HAK) Zafer Soylu, MÜSİAD Vice President Mehmet Akif Özyurt and Chairman of the New Tourism Resources Development Committee Muhammet Ali Özeken, Round Table Meetings and a Panel program were held under headings such as “City Hotels Table”, “Resort Hotels Table” and “Culture Tours Agencies Table”.

 

We Are Working on New Tourism Resources
 

Delivering the opening speech of the first part of the program, Chairman of the New Tourism Resources Development Committee Muhammet Ali Özeken stated that the tourism sector is of strategic importance for the Turkish economy. Noting that Türkiye set a major record by hosting 52.5 million tourists during 2019, Özeken said that as MÜSİAD they would continue their work towards Türkiye’s target of 75 million tourists.
 

Emphasizing that MÜSİAD will carry out projects for new tourism resources in this new era named the Renewal Process, Özeken said, “Alongside sea-sand-sun tourism, in which we are already strong, we are also working on the other rich tourism resources our country possesses. That is why we named our committee the New Tourism Resources Development Committee. In other words, we are also working on our new tourism resources, from thermal to health, from halal tourism to nature and adventure tourism and congress tourism, in which we have rich resources and potential but which we have not yet been able to make sufficiently productive use of.”

Halal Tourism Should Not Be Assessed Only Commercially and Economically

Speaking after Özeken, Chairman of the Board of the Halal Accreditation Agency Zafer Soylu made statements on halal tourism. Pointing out that it is wrong to assess the concept of Halal Tourism only from a commercial and economic perspective, Soylu emphasized that this matter should be approached with a sense of accountability and responsibility. Noting that non-Muslims currently lead the way in halal certification and documentation, Soylu said that as the Halal Accreditation Agency they aim to come to the fore in this field and to become an institution that sets the rules. Referring to the halal food standards they established with the consensus of 40 Muslim countries, Soylu emphasized that our shortcomings in auditing and accreditation must be remedied.

 

Following the opening speeches, the program continued with Round Table meetings. In the program consisting of the City Hotels Table, Resort Hotels Table, Thermal Hotels Table, Hajj and Umrah Agencies Table, Incoming Agencies Table, Culture Tours Agencies Table, IATA- Visa- MICE Agencies ,Table, Health Tourism Table, Transportation and Transfer Agencies Table and Gastronomy Tourism Table, sector representatives came together and gained the opportunity for business development and networking.

 

Agencies Must Adapt to the Digitalization Process
 

In the second part of the program, the “New Trends in Tourism Panel” was held. Speaking at the panel, TÜRSAB Vice President Ali Bilir shared his assessments on the impact of demographic and geographic changes on tourism. Stating that the purchasing habits, service expectations and demands of the new generations described today as X, Y, Z and Alpha have changed to a great extent, Bilir noted that it is obligatory for agencies operating today to keep pace with this situation. Emphasizing that Türkiye attracts the most tourists from Europe, Bilir said that our state should carry out its tourism planning by also taking Europe’s ageing population into account. Bilir, who also said that agencies must adapt to the digital environment, expressed that agencies should offer all of their products on these channels.

 

Qualified People Must Be Trained
 

Speaking at the panel, HURSAD President Diyaeedin Şahin shared his assessments on the criteria for organizing Umrah and Hajj tours. Saying that qualified people must be trained under the roof of TÜRSAB in order for Hajj and Umrah organizations to be carried out soundly, Şahin underlined that regulations should be made so that no agency suffers economic loss on Hajj and Umrah tours, for the safety of the person who will perform the Hajj and to enhance the reputation of the agencies.

 

“Muslim-Friendly Tourism”
 

IHATO President Yusuf Gerçeker also gave information on halal tourism and Türkiye’s potential. Describing the concept of Halal Tourism as a tourism activity in line with the commands and prohibitions of the Islamic religion, Gerçeker underlined that Faith Tourism and Halal Tourism should not be confused. Stating that Halal Tourism is a concept-based tourism practice, Gerçeker noted that this concept can be applied in all types of tourism such as ski tourism, sea tourism and gastro tourism.

 

Stating that they act jointly with the ministry and the Halal Accreditation Agency so that the concept of Halal Tourism takes root in Türkiye, Gerçeker said that they are trying to institutionalize this concept under the heading of “Muslim-Friendly Tourism”.

 

THY Domestic Sales President Emre Menevşe gave information about Turkish Airlines’ digitalization process. Stating that, by virtue of its location, Türkiye is close to a population of more than 2 billion within a four-hour distance, Menevşe said that as THY they carry out work to develop tourism and to enable our country to reach its targets.

 

We Are Conducting Tourism Work Under 21 Headings
 

Speaking in the final part of the program, Vice President Mehmet Akif Özyurt drew attention to the serious competition experienced in tourism around the world. Stating that as Türkiye they aim to be one of the 5 countries hosting the most tourists in the world, Özyurt said, “One of the ways to reach these targets is of course to be able to direct the interest of domestic and foreign tourists more towards our country. As MÜSİAD, we established the “New Tourism Resources Development Committee” in order both to put forward concrete projects and to offer solution proposals on this matter. We can summarize the basic purpose behind the establishment of our committee as changing the perception of tourism confined to a certain field and diversifying tourism. As MÜSİAD, we gather diversity in tourism resources under 21 headings such as plateau tourism, gastro tourism, Turkish culinary arts and health tourism. With the successful work to be carried out in these fields, there is no obstacle whatsoever before our country that would prevent it from reaching the targets it has set for itself.”

 

Tourism Is Among Our Strategic Sectors
 

Delivering the closing speech of the workshop, Deputy Minister of Culture and Tourism Nadir Alparslan gave information about Türkiye’s work and its 2023 targets. Expressing his satisfaction that MÜSİAD is conducting work by establishing a committee in a sector as important as tourism, Alparslan stated that with the transition to the Presidential System they designated tourism as a strategic sector. Giving information about the “Tourism Master Plan” determined by the state, Alparslan emphasized that they use all the means of the state to contribute to tourism. Emphasizing that they set a target of 75 million tourists and USD 65 billion in revenue in 2023, Alparslan said that they established the Tourism Development Agency with the approval of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. Saying that they are continuing capacity expansion work at Antalya and Gaziantep Airports, Alparslan noted that with the completion of the marina projects planned to open at Galataport and Yenikapı they want to raise cruise tourism to the level of 3 million as well. Expressing that in parallel with all these developments they are devoting intense work to Health Tourism and Halal Tourism as well, Alparslan emphasized that they aim to become the leading country of the Islamic world in these fields.

The program, which continued with a question-and-answer session, ended with a family photo.