Luxury facilities, seasonal advantages boost Turkey's future in sports tourism

Turkey is eyeing a bigger share in sports tourism with the addition of athlete-friendly luxury facilities with this tourism branch growing across the globe. While the interest of countries in many sports such as football, basketball, golf and tennis vary by their potential, billions of dollars are spent in the sector every year worldwide. The volume of sports tourism in the world has reached $200 billion, according to Sports Tourism Association Chairman Recep Şamil Yaşacan, who said Turkey has received only a small piece of the $1 billion pie. Turkey has seen an increase in occupancy rates, not only due to a recovery in the number of incoming visitors, but also thanks to the various sports events it has hosted in recent years. 

For instance, with international professional tennis tournaments organized in the country's holiday resort Antalya over the last 10 years, the city is now preferred by some 20,000 professionals each year as well as senior tennis players, boosting the region's foreign exchange influx, according to Turkey Tennis Federation Chairman Cengiz Durmuş, who said around 40,000 athletes, mostly tennis players, visit the city annually. 

Often called Turkey's tourism capital, Antalya has become a center for international sports clubs in the last five years thanks to investments made in new facilities and infrastructure, and continues to receive reservations, though it is aiming for a bigger slice of the sports tourism pie, according to Antalya Governor Münir Karaloğlu. 

Due to the favorable climatic conditions, infrastructure and location, Antalya is the most preferred destination among clubs. 

Sports tourism is a very important sector for Antalya, according to the city's governor. "Antalya attracts a big share, especially during the clubs' winter camps. There was a bit of hesitance last year, but this year many teams from the Middle East, Russia and Europe will hold their camps in Antalya. There have been a substantial amount of reservations already. This means that the winter months will be better than last year. However, Antalya has to attract a bigger share of sports tourism. We have opportunities; we have facilities; our hotels are high quality; we have football fields and tennis courts as well as golf courses. The golf courses in Antalya are world class. The Turkish Airlines Open tournament ended last week. We organized the Antalya Open for the first time last year and this year, we will organize the second," Karaloğlu explained. 

Contrary to the widespread idea that football ranks first in sports tourism, Yaşacan noted that it actually ranks second after golf. 

He also emphasized tourists coming for sports tourism spend much more than other tourists. "Tourists coming for holidays spend around $500-$600 during their stay in the country, while sports tourists spend around $2,000." 

FACILITIES WELL EQUIPPED 

TO HOST BIG EVENTS 

When asked whether Turkey is on the route of foreign sports teams, Yaşacan said: "Of course it is. The highest demand comes from the Commonwealth of Independent States [Russia, Belarus, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Moldova, Uzbekistan, Georgia, Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan], the second highest comes from the Balkan countries, and the third comes from Central and Northern European countries." 

He remarked that compared to 2017, a 30 percent increase is expected this year in sports tourism. "Sports tourism in 2017 was $600 million. As for this year, it is expected to be around $1 billion. We hope to approach the figures of 2015, which was the best year." 

Speaking of the deficiencies in sports tourism, Yaşacan said there was a need for bigger government support and that further investments should be made in new facilities. 

When asked whether Turkey has a sufficient infrastructure to handle big organizations such as the World Cup, Yaşacan said: "The infrastructure for any sports event is basically ready in terms of climate, facility, accommodation and logistics. Investments would need to be made to support some places where there is a lack of facilities." 

On the other hand, Durmuş said he does not think Turkey lacks facilities. 

"I think we should do something about the sense of perception. It's necessary to explain that Antalya is the city with the best climate, location and numerous courts. Promotion should be made in this direction. It may also contribute to the promotion of our country by bringing world-renowned athletes such as Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal to the ATP 250 Antalya Open Tournament. Encouraging four or five year-round international tennis academies to open branches in Antalya and bring sports and tennis players from all over the world for both sports and education will make our country a sports center. New courts should be built and the quality of the existing courts should be increased," Durmuş explained. 

TENNIS COULD BRING IN 

$1.2 BILLION ANNUALLY 

Hotels in Antalya have made massive investments to promote sports tourism, according to Durmuş, who also noted the world-class golf and football fields. 

"The turf tennis courts made for the ATP 250 Turkish Airlines Open are some of the best turf

Tennis courts in the world, despite being a first for our country. Apart from this, the Istanbul Cup and the Istanbul Open tournaments have made very significant contributions to the promotion of Istanbul. In particular, the year when Federer came and the year when Turkish national tennis player Çağla Büyükakçay won the championship were unforgettable years for us," he said. 

He also explained that 100 international tournaments are held in Antalya each year, indicating that Turkey is one of the countries that organizes the highest number of professional tournaments. 

"Antalya is the city with highest number of courts in the world. There are nearly 2,000 tennis courts in the city," Durmuş added. 

When you consider the fact that tennis can be played at least 40 weeks out of the year in Antalya thanks to the region's mild climate, there could be 1.2 million tennis customers annually, according to the Turkey Tennis Federation chairman, who also pointed out that tennis-related visitors generally spend more; so, 1.2 million people would average $1,000 per week in spending, including their plane tickets. 

"By just creating a good tennis city, an average of $1.2 billion in sports tourism could be provided from tennis tourism," Durmuş noted. 

The contribution of sports tourism is much higher than the financial contribution for Turkey's promotion to the world, according to the Sports Tourism Association chairman 

"The athletes' social media sharing and teams coming in during the early booking period have made big contributions to the promotion. In winter, indoor facilities in the Antalya region are kept open for sports camps. Tournaments in Antalya are broadcast live around the world. The mountains available for skiing in the summer season enables accommodation facilities to stay open for business the entire year. This means 12 months of employment. As a result, sports tourism raises the brand value of our country." 

He stressed that incoming foreign teams from every category play friendly matches with professional and amateur teams in the country, adding that these matches also make contributions to the Turkish teams, who have an opportunity to analyze the tactics and strategies of the incoming teams and to see their own strengths. 

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Turkey's tourism revenue surges 30.1 percent in Q2

Turkey's tourism revenue surged 30.1 percent year-on-year to reach $7.04 billion in the second quarter of 2018, Turkish Statistical Institute (TurkStat) announced Tuesday.

TurkStat said 84.7 percent of tourism income, excluding mobile phone roaming and marina service expenditures, came from foreign tourists, while 15.3 percent was obtained from Turkish citizens residing abroad.

Turkey welcomed more than 11 million tourists in the second quarter of this year, an increase of 24.9 percent from the same quarter in 2017.

The report showed 89 percent of visitors were foreigners with 9.85 million persons, 11 percent of them were Turkish citizens resident abroad with 1.21 million persons, TurkStat said.

According to TurkStat, the number of Turkish citizens traveling abroad in the second quarter fell by 4.4 percent over the same period and reached almost 2.2 million.

The number of foreigners visiting Turkey rose by 28.5 percent, year-on-year, in June, reaching 5.1 million persons, the Culture and Tourism Ministry revealed Tuesday.

Russians made up almost 22 percent of foreign visitors, followed by Germans at around 10 percent, and British citizens at nearly 7 percent.

Number of foreigners visiting Turkey during January to June period climbed by 28.92 percent, compared to the same period last year, the data showed.

The total number of Turkish citizens resident abroad visiting the country also went up by 21.64 percent during the first six months, year-on-year.

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has said Turkey expected 40 million tourists by end of 2018.

"We expect $32 billion tourism revenue, and we are proceeding quickly toward this target," Erdogan added.

Mehmet Ersoy, minister of culture and tourism, also said nearly 16 million foreigners visited Turkey in the first six-month period of the current year.

While Turkey hosted 36.8 million foreigners in 2014 and 36.3 million in 2015, the figure decreased sharply to 25.3 million in 2016 but rose again to 32.4 million last year, according to TurkStat.

Turkey targets 50 million tourists and $50 billion in income by 2023, according to private sector representatives and officials.

The next quarterly data of TurkStat on tourism statistics is due on Oct.

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Turkey's world-class diving centers a magnet for tourists

People from all over the world are coming to Turkey to enjoy some of the world's best free diving centers and unique underwater activities.

Turkey became a leading nation in sea tourism after it established state-of-the-art scuba diving centers and hundreds of diving facilities over the last few years.The 254 diving centers in the country offer water sports to both tourists and locals, with 83 in the Mediterranean Sea region alone.

Kaş, Kemer, Çanakkale, Fethiye, Ayvalık, Antalya, Mersin and Bodrum are the most popular diving spots. Besides the diving centers, interest in Lake Van is also increasing daily.

Turkish Underwater Sports Federation (TSSF) President Şahin Özen told the Anadolu Agency (AA) that diving centers were playing an important role in boosting tourism.

"In the summer, tourists, diving enthusiasts and many people from different parts of the world come here to see our diving centers and the colorful underwater habitats. The interest grows every year," he said.

Özen added: "We have 254 active diving centers on our seaside and inland waters with hundreds of hard-working diving instructors and guides. Our instructors are very experienced and safe for dive training and offer international experience."

Turkey also has diving opportunities for disabled visitors with 52 specially trained instructors, Özen added.

The Kaş underwater activities center, established by the World Underwater Federation (CMAS) and the TSSF jointly, is considered one of the best in the world.

Özen said Kaş is a very popular destination for fans of underwater activities. "Kaş is home to some of the best free diving centers in the world and because of this, it hosts annual free diving championships. This year, athletes from 20 countries have entered their names to compete in the event.

"For the first time in the world, we hosted European and world free diving champions. Our emergency response system for the safety of diving athletes has been highly praised by the CMAS and other country's federations. In deep dives, in case of emergencies, we have a system that enables us to quickly raise the athletes by 1.5 meters through an emergency response button; we also have a special camera and guide cable system. We export this system to the world."

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The 6th Interdisciplinary Tourism Research Conference to be held in Cappadocia, Turkey

Organised by the journal ANATOLIA, the 6th Interdisciplinary Tourism Research Conference will take place 2 - 7 October 2018 in Cappadocia, Turkey. 

The conference aims particularly to emphasize the interdisciplinary nature of tourism, hospitality and leisure research and attracts submissions in two categories: First, it encourages those faculty members and/or graduate students studying in other fields, but have research interests on tourism. Second, for those contributors with a background in tourism, the paper should be written by at least two multiple authors and each author represents a different discipline.

Invited speakers 

The list of our guest speakers is diverse in their affiliations, gender, and fields of expertise:

• Tej Vir Singh, Centre for Tourism Research & Development, India 
• Haiyan Song, Hong Kong Polytechnic University, SAR China
• Marion Joppe, University of Guelph, Canada
• Chris Cooper, Leeds Beckett University, UK

Tej Vir Singh Recognition Award 

This year’s award is dedicated to Professor Tej Vir Singh of the Centre for Tourism Research & Development, India, in recognition of his lifelong contribution and social role played to the institutionalisation of tourism studies, both nationally and internationally, from an interdisciplinary perspective.

Pre-conference seminars: 

• Antonia Correia – University of Algarve & Universidade Europeia, Portugal
• Maheshvari Naidu – University of KwaZulu–Natal, South Africa
• Ana Isabel Rodrigues – Polytechnic Institute of Beja, Portugal
• Husseini Olya – Oxford Brookes University, UK 

For more information about the conference, visit anatoliajournal.com/interdisciplinary


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Turkey is in the Top 10 in the Inbound Tourism Markets for Bulgaria

Tourism Minister Nikolina Angelova talked on the phone with Turkey's new Minister of Culture and Tourism, Mehmet Ersoy, the press center of the ministry announced. Turkey is in the top 10 in the incoming tourism markets for Bulgaria, Minister Angelkova stressed and congratulated her colleague on taking up the post. 

She added that over the period January-May this year, more than 264,000 Turkish citizens visited the country, recording a 9.1% increase over the same period in 2017. Last year tourist visits from Turkey were more than 636,000 and there was an increase of 12.5%. And for the last five years Turkish tourists who have visited Bulgaria have doubled, the minister informed. 

The development of so-called The Balkan Route was one of the topics that the two Ministers discussed. They have united the view that this product will be of great benefit to attracting tourists from distant destinations in both countries. 

Minister Angelkova stressed that it is crucial to have an individual service to meet the needs of visitors from remote countries such as China and Japan, adding that it will build on the tourism products offered in Bulgaria and Turkey. She recalled that its creation was proposed and supported at the EU Tourism Ministers' High Level Tourism and Economic Growth Summit, organized under the Bulgarian Presidency of the Council of the EU. 

Minister Angelkova invited her Turkish counterpart to join the second International Congress of World Civilizations and Historical Routes. It is organized under the auspices of the World Tourism Organization and will take place in the period 14-16 November in Sofia. 

Minister Mehmet Ersoy commented that he would rely on the two neighboring countries to continue their fruitful cooperation in tourism. He added that he would support and assist in organizing any initiatives that would contribute to the successful development of the sector. 

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Incirliin Cave proving popular among tourists in southwestern Turkey

The ancient Incirliin Cave located in southwestern Turkey's Muğla province continues to be a popular attraction for tourists.

The 345-meter-long cave, which is located in Milas district's Gökçeler Canyon and estimated to be around 8,000 years old, has been declared both a first degree archeological and natural site by Muğla's Cultural and Natural Heritage Preservation Board.

Upon entering the cave, visitors are greeted by huge stalactites and stalagmites and enjoy cooler temperatures, which can reach as low as 17 degrees Celsius even on the hottest days. The cooler temperatures also make the cave a perfect habitat that bat colony said to have made its home there.

Speaking to Anadolu Agency (AA), District Governor of Milas Eren Arslan said the cave was first opened to visitors after lightening equipment and walkways were installed in 2016 to ensure visitors' safety.

Remarking that the region's beaches also make it a popular tourist destination, Arslan said both the cave and the canyon have a very different sort of tourism potential. The canyon is home to vibrant wildlife and various types of trees and other flora. Confident in the area's potential, Arslan said the spot is sure to grow with tourism businesses.

"Every year we get 20,000 local and foreign tourists. So far 7,000 tourists have visited in 2018. This number is increasing every year," he said.

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Turkey has a new government system and a new Tourism Minister

Turkey has officially switched to an executive presidency after President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan took the oath of office yesterday and announced the first cabinet under new presidential system.

Founder of Etstur Mehmet Ersoy becomes the new Tourism Minister of Turkey.

Born in Istanbul in 1968, Mehmet Ersoy, graduated from Istanbul German High School in 1987 and then moved to the business world by establishing Etstur in 1991 with Murat Ersoy, his twin brother. Starting their tour operator business from scratch, Mehmet Ersoy and his brother Murat Ersoy succeeded in taking Etstur to top in a short period while continuing to grow in the hotel management and tourism industries. Etsgroup operates a total of 13 five-star hotels with 12,000-bed capacity including a hotel chain of seven Voyage hotels, two Maxx Royal Resorts hotels in Bodrum and Antalya as well as Elexus Hotels & Resorts & Spa in Kemer and TRNC.

Etstur also hosts many brands under its roof; Didimtur; a travel agency serving for large masses, Jetset; a boutique travel agency preparing personal and luxury travel programs, Ucuzabilet.com; a web site selling affordable domestic and international flight tickets, Otelpuan.com, a web site featuring objective reviews of the guests about the properties, etstur.com/letsgo, online journal of Etstur covering articles and posts on travel trends and culture, Etsmice, a brand providing corporate traveling services, events, fairs etc.

In 2004, Etsgroup acquired 50 percent of the shares of Atlasjet, founded by Öger Holding, stepping into the aviation industry and it purchased all the shares of the airline in February 2006. Reaching a significant a position in the private airline business in a short period thanks to service-oriented rather than cost-based business mentality, the company moves forward under the name Atlasglobal due to an overhaul of its corporate identity in 2015.

Turkey’s new presidential governmental system has abolished the Prime Ministry and transferred all executive authority of the Prime Ministry office to the president, who will have sweeping powers, from appointing state officials to declaring state of emergency by presidential decrees, lacking considerable monitoring by parliament.

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