AKTOB President Kavaloğlu's call for 'new stories' for Turkish tourism

Kaan Kaşif Kavaloğlu, President of the Mediterranean Touristic Hoteliers and Operators Association, said that Türkiye should create new stories in tourism, increase destination diversity and develop experience-oriented tourism products.

Kavaloğlu stated to the AA correspondent that it is important to examine successful destination management models to strengthen Türkiye's position in global tourism.

Explaining that they are examining the tourism policies of countries such as France and Spain, Kavaloğlu said, "We need to write new stories in tourism. Antalya and Istanbul account for approximately 80 percent of Türkiye's tourism movement. Therefore, the more tourism spreads throughout Turkey, the more it will develop." he said.

Stating that Spain does special marketing for 17 destinations, Kavaloğlu stated that it is important for central and local governments to work in coordination on tourism.

Stating that France is also working on different destinations in tourism, Kavaloğlu noted that Türkiye has significant potential in terms of city, resort, ski and winter tourism.

We can only reach the point we can reach with sea, sand and sun.

Kavaloğlu said that most of France's tourism movement takes place in a limited region of the country, and in this context, tourism professionals apply different marketing methods in 25 pilot regions.

Emphasizing that Türkiye should go beyond the existing tourism centers and create new destinations, Kavaloğlu said, "We need to create new stories and new awareness. In this sense, we have all the opportunities to do this. We also have the opportunities to enable people to do experience tourism. Therefore, it is clear that we can only reach the point where we can reach with sea, sand and sun." he said.

Kavaloğlu said that in Türkiye, tourists can be offered experiences in many different areas, from history, art, cultural heritage, gastronomy, shopping, rural life, to balloon tours, paragliding, skiing and thermal springs.

Stating that Antalya hosts approximately 17 million foreign tourists annually, Kavaloğlu stated that this density creates an important tourism ecosystem and employment in the city.

Referring to the views on reducing the number of tourists and targeting tourists with higher spending, Kavaloğlu said that Antalya's current tourism volume should be preserved.

Kavaloğlu said, "The ecosystem created by the arrival of 16.5-17 million tourists should not be disrupted. Before this number decreases, more qualified tourists need to build on it." he said.