MITT Moscow Fair, one of the world’s leading travel and hospitality events, has opened its doors in the Russian capital, Moscow. Turkey’s tourism paradise, Alanya, is welcoming guests at the fair, showcasing the unique holiday opportunities the region offers.
Taking place from March 19-21, the International MITT Tourism Fair has been held continuously in Moscow for the past 30 years, becoming a key meeting point for the industry. Recognized as an effective B2B platform for travel and accommodation professionals, MITT annually brings together tourism sector representatives from Russia and around the world. With 909 companies and organizations from 30 countries participating in the fair, Alanya is taking its place with a specially designed eye-catching stand. Mehmet Dahaoğlu, Vice President of the Alanya Tourism Promotion Foundation (ALTAV) and the Alanya Touristic Hoteliers Association (ALTID), who is part of the Alanya delegation at the 3-day fair, stated that the stand has been experiencing intense visitor traffic throughout the day. Among the visitors to the Alanya stand was Moscow Ambassador Tanju Bilgiç.
Alanya in the Spotlight at MITT Moscow Fair
Providing information about the fair, which is being held in Moscow, an important tourism market for Alanya, Dahaoğlu said, “Our stand, specially designed for the Moscow Fair, has made Alanya this year’s most popular stand from the first day. Our stand, which has a modern and impressive design, has been prepared to both visually represent Alanya in the best way and to include all the necessary content. We are happy to receive the appreciation of our visitors. The Moscow Fair is going very well for us. It is encouraging to see the interest in the Alanya stand and the queues formed in front of the stand to get information. This year, one of the most striking aspects of the MITT Moscow Fair is the absence of major tour operators such as Anex Tour, Tez Tour, Coral Travel, Biblo Globus, and Pegas. This is a really disappointing development for our industry, as many local agency representatives are disappointed not to see tour operators at the fair to discuss agreements. Major tour operators prefer to hold workshops with hoteliers before and after the fair. Nobody can understand why they are not participating despite the support of our Ministry. Such fairs can only be more active and sustainable with the support and cooperation of all stakeholders. We invite major tour operators to join us at the fair and show solidarity with the industry. When we look at the figures, we see that Russia has always been one of the most preferred destinations for Turkish tourists, and we expect this to continue in the coming period.”
“Russians Prefer Alanya in the Mediterranean”
Drawing attention to the fact that Alanya is the most popular destination among visitors to the fair, Dahaoğlu said, “Another development that we observe at the fair and that makes us very happy on behalf of Alanya is that visitors are asking about Alanya first among all Mediterranean destinations. Russian tourists are also preferring our region this year due to reasons such as its wide range of accommodation options, affordable prices, and the advantages the city offers. Our Minister of Culture and Tourism, Mehmet Nuri Ersoy, had told us in our meeting at the ITB Berlin Fair that Germans are currently the most preferred tourists in Turkey. However, looking at the interest in the MITT Moscow Fair and the talks we have had, we think that this may change in the coming period. As in previous years, with last-minute sales, Russian tourists will once again take the first place among the countries that prefer Turkey the most.”
Positive Momentum in the Russian Market
Mehmet Dahaoglu also shared details of the talks he had at the fair. “One of the important problems regarding this market is the need for technical support and equipment supply for the aircraft to fly. However, unfortunately, the inability to carry out the necessary maintenance on aircraft due to the sanctions imposed by Europe and America is causing major problems here. We hope that this will also be resolved as soon as possible and that the planes will fly in the skies where they belong. On the other hand, in our meetings with local tour operators and agency representatives, we discussed the economic difficulties experienced in Russia and the possible decrease in the purchasing power of people due to the expected change in the exchange rate of the ruble against foreign currencies following the recent elections. In addition, the fact that Putin received a record number of votes and was re-elected president with 87% of the people’s votes in the elections shows that the people support the government’s policy, which also indicates that the war will not end easily. However, despite these evaluations, our confidence in the sector is full. We maintain our belief that we will gain positive momentum in the Russian market this year, as every year, and that the demand of holidaymakers will continue to increase,” he said.
The tourism professionals participating in the fair will return with their forecasts for the 2024 season after the meetings they will hold for 3 days.
