ATO/Baran: Significant Developments in Tourism Over Two Decades
Foreks - Gürsel Baran, the Chairman of the Ankara Chamber of Commerce (ATO), stated that despite the issues faced by Turkey's geography, significant developments in tourism have been achieved over the last 20 years, saying, "By the end of this year, we are aiming for 60 million tourists and 60 billion dollars in revenue." Baran mentioned that they are promoting the capital's health tourism under the "Health Ankara" brand.
ATO President Gürsel Baran attended the opening of the 7th International Travel and Tourism Fair, TravalExpo Ankara. During the opening ceremony, he made a speech alongside numerous dignitaries, including the Ambassador of the Russian Federation in Ankara, Aleksey Yerhov, Ankara Governor Vasip Şahin, TÜRSAB Vice Chairman Davut Günaydın, and Birol Akman, the Chairman of ATO City Promotion and Development Special Committee and the Anatolia Ankara Tourism Operators Association (ATİD), as well as Bilgin Aygül, the Chairman of Atis Fuarcılık.
Baran noted that the world is going through a troubled time and that wars exist at Turkey's borders, yet Turkey continues to develop in tourism. He remarked, "Looking at the last 20 years, we have made significant progress in tourism. We increased the number of tourists from 13 million to 56 million over the years. Our revenue, which was around 8.5 billion dollars, has approached 56 billion dollars. The Ministry has set a target of 60 million tourists and 60 billion dollars in revenue by the end of this year. Our Ministry of Culture and Tourism continues to work tirelessly to promote all of our country's touristic beauties worldwide."
Emphasizing that Turkey aims to reach 100 billion dollars in tourism, Baran pointed out the necessity of harnessing the country’s potential beyond mere sun, sea, and sand. He added, "Our country, with its cultural and historical values, thermal and natural resources, and thousands of years of rooted history, encompasses all branches of tourism."
Baran explained that they are conducting projects and activities to promote Ankara, stating that they are presenting the capital's health tourism potential on the international stage through the Ankara Congress and Visitor Bureau, created within ATO, and its subsidiary, the Health Ankara brand. He highlighted that Ankara is an emerging value in health tourism due to its universities that train qualified healthcare personnel, hospitals equipped with cutting-edge technology, and competitive pricing policies.
Baran also drew attention to the potential of the capital in thermal tourism, noting that increasing the number of direct flights abroad is vital for advancing in tourism. After his speech, Baran, along with the protocol delegation, visited various booths at the fair, including ATO's.
The event was attended by Afyonkarahisar Governor Assoc. Prof. Kübra Güran Yiğitbaşı, ATO Board Vice President Temel Aktay, Chairman of the Tourism Development Special Committee Muhammet Sarıtaş, Committee Member Bülent İnal, Dursun Yılmaz, Chairman of the 58th Hotels and Accommodation Facilities Professional Committee, Deputy Chairman Ömer Özkan Özdemir, and Muharrem Kılıç, Assembly Member of the 48th Ready Meals Services-Cafeteria Management Professional Committee, as well as Savaş Çolakoğlu, President of the Tourism Hotel Managers Association.
ATO STAND AT TRAVELEXPO
The Ankara Chamber of Commerce, which established a "Congress and Visitor Bureau" to promote Ankara tourism and created the "Health Ankara" brand to promote health tourism, participated in the TravelExpo Ankara 7th International Tourism and Travel Fair with a booth.
The fair attracted over 60 industry professionals from Russia, Chechnya, Tatarstan, the Republic of Adygea, Moscow, St. Petersburg, Tver Region, and Krasnodar Krai, featuring booths from tour operators, travel agencies, universities, embassies, and hotels.
“TRAVELEXPO RECEPTION” BY ATO
On the first evening of TravelExpo, ATO held a reception attended by ATO Council Members, 80 foreign guests from 35 countries, and representatives from Ankara's health tourism sector. In the opening speech at the reception, ATO Vice Chairman Temel Aktay stated that Turkey, recognized as a holiday tourism center worldwide, is also emerging as a rising star in health tourism.
Aktay noted that TravelExpo Ankara provides a valuable platform for the tourism sector to bring together significant international stakeholders, enabling efficient collaborations, new business opportunities, and information sharing. He stated, "Health, as a sector, is one of the important pillars of the global economy. It constitutes a vast economy encompassing medical products and drug production, doctors, nurses, healthcare facilities, and insurance. Different destinations are becoming recognized globally for their local features. We have also set the groundwork for the development of health tourism by connecting industry stakeholders coming to Ankara from abroad with the representatives of the capital's health sector."
“Turkey as a Preferred Destination”
Aktay acknowledged that the services offered by hospitals and health centers in Turkey, including hair transplantation, oral/dental health, aesthetic surgery, physiotherapy, and spa and thermal facilities, attract foreign tourists. He stated, "Turkey, known worldwide as a holiday tourism center, is now also emerging as a rising star in health tourism. The capital of Turkey, Ankara, is a city with significant potential in health tourism. With its high-quality services, thermal resources, health centers equipped with modern devices, well-trained and qualified healthcare personnel, and competitive prices, it is a preferred destination."
The TRAVELEXPO ANKARA 7th International Tourism and Travel Fair will be open for visits until November 17, 2024.