Alanya Tourism Promotion Foundation Board Member Elvan Güneş stated, “The absence of visa and passport requirements for entry from Poland to Turkey plays a significant role in encouraging citizens of this country to choose our country more.”
The promotion of Alanya took place at the ITTF Warsaw Tourism Fair held in the capital of Poland, Warsaw, on March 16-18. Elvan Güneş, a member of the Board of Directors of Alanya Tourism Promotion Foundation (ALTAV), represented Alanya at the fair. Güneş, who had important meetings, gathered information about reservation numbers and flight schedules and provided a general evaluation:
‘IDENTITY CARD IS SUFFICIENT TO ENTER OUR COUNTRY’
We participated in the tourism fair held in the capital of Poland, Warsaw, as the Alanya Tourism Promotion Foundation. Poland ranked fourth among the countries sending the most tourists to Antalya in 2022 with 757,000 people, following Russia, Germany, and the United Kingdom. Poland, with a population of 38 million, has about 5 million people going on vacation every year. In 2022, the number of people from Poland to Turkey was 1,136,000. Within this number, 850,000 people purchased package tours from travel agencies to visit our country. Numerically, in terms of the share we receive, this is a very important market for our country and region. The absence of passport and visa requirements and the ability to travel with an identity card have been important factors in the increase in the number of visitors.
‘CORAL TRAVEL RECEIVED A 40% EARLY BOOKING’
In our meeting with Kaan Ergün, the CEO of Coral Travel, which operates 53% of the operations in Poland, he mentioned that last year they brought 340,000 people in a season that started late but recovered later. This year, their planning is around 440,000, and if there is an increase in demand, they can exceed this number. They have flight plans from 5 cities in Poland and mentioned that they won’t have any problems with additional flights. So far, they have received a 40% early booking, but due to the earthquake, they experienced a slowdown, and they expect reservations to return to normal after a while.
‘RAINBOW TO BRING 60,000 HOLIDAYMAKERS’
Maciej Nykiel, the CEO of Nekera, stated that there is a lot of interest and demand from Poland, especially for Turkey and the Mediterranean region. He mentioned that they brought 70,000 people last year and aimed for a minimum of 100,000 passengers this year. Ziya Ünal, the owner of Rainbow Tours, which mainly brings Polish holidaymakers to the Alanya region, said they planned for 60,000 passengers this year.
‘FLIGHTS FROM POLAND ARE EXPENSIVE’
In my conversation with Ersan Akarçeşme, the Sales Manager of Turkish Airlines, he mentioned that they used to fly from Poland to Istanbul seven days a week and three days a week to Antalya throughout the year. However, due to not obtaining more than 10 flight permits, they decided to cancel Antalya flights and redirect them to Istanbul. He also noted that flights from Poland are very expensive, and by making connected flights from Istanbul, they aim to increase profitability.
‘THE PROMOTION PROCESS WILL CONTINUE’
Tour operators and travel agencies we spoke with highlighted the substantial support they received, especially from our Polish Ambassador, Mr. Cengiz Kamil Fırat, our Culture and Tourism Ministry Counsellor, Mr. Umut Aksungur, and our Trade Counsellor, Ms. Betül Buke Karaçin. They expressed that these figures have been instrumental and a significant opportunity for them. In return, we, as ALTAV and Alanya, expressed our gratitude by presenting special gifts prepared by our Mayor Adem Murat Yücel. Together, we conducted a situational evaluation. To further increase the numbers, we will continue our promotion process throughout the year by bringing press members, social media influencers, and implementing various planned projects to the Alanya region. Alanya has become a beloved destination for the Polish people.
‘ALANYA BECAME THE MEDITERRANEAN REPRESENTATIVE’
The Turkey Ministry of Culture and Tourism stand had a total of 7 participants. Among them, only we represented the Mediterranean region, along with Kuşadası, Marmaris, Corendon, Villa Tema Park Istanbul, Turkish Airlines, and Baialara Hotel from the Antalya Belek region. The Polish people love going on vacation, especially enjoying cultural trips. Reaching 2 million in the coming years for Turkey does not seem difficult.
