Turkish tourism seeks new promotion strategy

Though Turkey has great tourism potential, the country should change the way it promotes itself to potential visitors, tourism experts say.

Speaking at a meeting organized in Antalya’s Belek district on Saturday to increase cooperation between the Turkish Culture and Tourism Ministry and hoteliers unions, Sururi Çorabatır said Turkey needs to refresh its tourism-promotion strategy.

“The global economic crisis has changed the perception of holidays,” said Çorabatır, the president of the Mediterranean Tourist Hoteliers and Operators Union, or AKTOB. “In this new era, destinations and brands should be highlighted. We have major brands in our country such as Istanbul, Antalya, Marmaris, Bodrum and southeastern Anatolia. Instead of promoting Turkey [as a whole], we should promote these destinations.”

Sea and sand tourism in the Mediterranean region should be backed up with trips that appeal to people interested the rich history of the area, said Çorabatır. He added that special efforts should be made to promote Turkey’s up-and-coming Belek golf resort, which received the 2008 Best Golf Destination Europe Award last year from the International Association of Golf Tour Operators, or IAGTO.

“Promotion should no more be considered as renting stands at tourism fairs,” Çorabatır said. “We must offer activities that consumers can reach directly. It is important to allocate a separate budget for this purpose.”

The AKTOB president believes it will be difficult to increase the country’s tourism income as global tourism revenues are expected to shrink for another year. In such an environment, he said. it is very important to directly address potential travelers.

“You are trying to do your job with a restricted budget,” Çorabatır told the Culture and Tourism Ministry representatives at the meeting. “Turkey has the chance to have the upper hand for the next tourism season, but one must sometimes spend more to earn more. I’m happy to hear that the ministry is expected to be allocated an 11 percent increase in the government budget for 2010.”

Tourism better than expected

According to Cumhur Güven Taşbaşı, the director-general for promotion in the Culture and Tourism Ministry, the World Tourism Organization, or UNWTO, has predicted a 6 percent decline in global tourism for 2009 due to the economic crisis. Turkey, meanwhile, anticipates a 10 percent decrease in the number of visitors to the country.

“The results are much better than the predictions. While the number of tourists to other countries in the Mediterranean, such as Egypt and Spain, declined by 8 to 10 percent, Turkey has seen an increase of 1.4 percent,” said Taşbaşı. “But I’m sorry to note that the number of tourists to Antalya, our leading destination, has dropped by 4 percent. As a result, this year’s total income will be slightly over that of 2008, above our expectations.”

The UNWTO reports named Turkey and Croatia as the two most successful countries, Taşbaşı said, adding that Croatia has used the advantage of being new in the global tourism market. “There is a high demand, a curiosity about Croatia; that is how the country has achieved success in tourism this year,” he said. “But at international meetings, UNWTO officials asked us how we have achieved these numbers. This shows that Turkey has made significant progress.”

Despite finishing this year above expectations, the predictions for 2010 are no better. The global economy, however, is expected to improve in the second half of next year, increasing consumer demand, Taşbaşı said, adding that more investment should be made in promotion and marketing.

Amid the economic crisis, holidaymakers have tended to prefer cheap but quality resorts over distant destinations, creating an advantage for Turkey in the German and Russian markets, noted Taşbaşı. With its new and budget-friendly luxury facilities, and the help of the Turkish Lira’s low value against the pound, Turkey has also increased its share of British tourists by 12 percent.

Taşbaşı said the criticism about the Culture and Tourism Ministry’s budget is rational. “Our ministry gets 1.5 percent of the budget, the lowest among all ministries,” he said. “With the public’s support, we will seek an 11 percent increase in the 2010 budget.”

Bodrum ends tourism season with 5 percent loss

Turkey’s popular tourism destination Bodrum has witnessed a 5 percent decrease in the number of visitors compared to last year, said Halil Özyurt, president of the Bodrum Hoteliers Association, or BODER.

“This year’s tourism season has been hit by the global economic crisis and swine-flu fears,” Özyurt told the Anatolia news agency. “The tourists who visited Bodrum were very happy with the sun, the sea and the nature, but hassling continues to be a major problem.”

“Hanutçu” is the Turkish term used for people who hector visitors to shop or eat at their establishments.

Sevinç Gökbel, the president of the Bodrum Regional Executive Council of the Turkey Association of Travel Agencies, or TÜRSAB, said the fight against hassling requires cooperation. “We must accept the fact that ‘hanutçuluk’ is destroying Turkish tourism,” said Gökbel. “Everybody must help the state officials in their struggle against such people. We must make bold decisions and move on.”

Özyurt added that Bodrum must diversify its tourism to strengthen its position. “We have explored opportunities in winter tourism and health tourism,” he said. “We are well aware what tourism means for the region and are doing our best to develop it.”