TourPressClub was a proud participant and media partner at the Lastminutefair in Antalya on April 26 and 27, 2021.
Lastminutefair-2021, organised by GMT Fuarcilik, brought together almost 1,500 international tourism specialists and representatives of travel agencies from 14 countries: Turkey, Russia, Ukraine, Moldova, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Germany, Romania, Slovenia, Sweden and Lithuania.
Among the participants were such large hotel chains as Barut Hotels, Calisto, Limak Hotels, Nirvana Hotels and Rixos, as well as representatives of the famous tour operators TUI Russia, Pi Travel and Jolly.
The full list of participants can be found here.
The goals of the fair organisers were to provide a successful face-to-face communication platform between tourism professionals, investors and entrepreneurs, as well as to represent Turkey’s leading tourism brands through professional B2B meetings.
The TourPressClub stand evoked great interest and we were visited by both employees of tour operators and agencies, as well as representatives of chain hotels and various Tourism Associations. We were also visited by fellow journalists from Russia, Turkey and Azerbaijan. Many of the guests of the stand know our publications and have expressed a desire for cooperation.
On the opening day of the fair, in his opening speech, GMT Fuarcılık Chairman Mr. Selçuk Meral stated that they organised the first tourism fair in Antalya of this magnitude in 2019.
This year, in turn, they “wanted to light a candle in the darkness of the global crisis.”
“We wanted to be a light and give hope to the tourism sector,” Meral added.
Deputy Minister of Culture and Tourism of Turkey Mr. Nadir Alpaslan, said: “Until the vaccination process is completed and the epidemic loses its place on the agenda, the Safe Tourism Certification Program will be one of the main solutions.” adding that Turkey will actively and resolutely continue to implement this program.
Deputy Turkish Minister of Culture and Tourism Nadir Alpaslan
Mayor of Muratpaşa Ümit Uysal said at the opening of Lastminutefair that “the main goal is to reach 100 million tourists.”
“When we enter mass tourism with all the characteristics of our Turkey, we will get a much stronger and larger share in the global market,” he said.
TÜRSAB Board Member Mr. Hamit Kuk, stated that many events and fairs have been canceled and rescheduled, adding that “such fairs are very important for Turkey to get out of this chaotic environment and prepare for a new era.”
Assessments of 2021 and forecasts for the future were an important topic of discussion in Antalya. For example, the Secretary General of the World Tourism Association of Twin Cities Mr. Hüseyin Baraner, noted that the value of tourism in all countries of the world after the epidemic will increase, stressing: “The era of stars will end, there will be a renaissance, which includes the concept of trust, security, transparency and quality.”
Another focus of the fair was the promotion of Kaleiçi – the old city – and cultural tourism.
On the second day of the fair, another discussion took place, where the Mayor of Muratpaşa Ümit Uysal, and invited by him the mayor of the city of Gradara in Italy, Mr. Filippo Gasperi, the mayor of the city of Levoča in Slovakia, Mr. Miroslav Vilkovský, as well as the President of AKOED (Kaleiçi Hoteliers and Merchants Association) Mr. Hasan Yetkil and Pi Travel General Coordinator Mr. Kazim Yönden delivered a speech.
Mr. Yetkil addressed travel agencies in his speech: “Resort hotel management plays an important role in Turkish tourism and is a successful model. However, Kaleiçi and many other similar cultural heritage sites should be highlighted in promoting the country. The biggest task falls on you to develop cultural tourism and popularise Kaleiçi in the world.”
TourPressClub was also presented during the discussion of cultural tourism, as media partners and fans of cultural tourism! We would like to note that within the framework of the project concerning the promotion of cultural tourism, the organisers of the exhibition and officials of AKOED and Muratpaşa Municipality organised a tour of Kaleiçi for the participants of the fair on April 28.
