EMITT, one of the five largest tourism fairs in the world, hosted the tourism industry for the 12th time at TÜYAP Fair and Congress Center between 15-2023 April 26. ICA Events, which brings together thousands of foreign investors and domestic business partners every year with the fairs it organizes, opened its doors to the sector stakeholders for the 26th time with the EMITT Fair. EMITT Fair has become the meeting point of professionals in the tourism sector such as airlines, accommodation facilities, transportation and information technology companies as well as public institutions, sectoral associations, tour operators and travel agencies and hotels.
Experts who shape the global tourism industry as well as Turkey and the region met with the industry at EMITT under a very rich event program covering the current tourism trends.
On the first day of the EMITT Fair, “Turkish Airlines; The first session titled “Italy and Presents Its Beauties” was held. The session was moderated by CESISP – Milan Bicocca University, General Manager of TRA Counsulting SL Prof. Made by Andrea Giuricin. EXPO 2023 Rome Candidacy Committee, Mena Region Special Ambassador Fabio Nicolucci, Enit Italy Tourism Board President Ivna Jelinic, Turkish Airlines Vice President of Sales (Southern Europe) Ömer Faruk Sönmez and Connect2Italy and Mancini Worldwide CEO Alessandro Mancini in the session attended by Rome Expo 2030 and the Italian city of Palermo came to the fore.
Mentioning that it is important to bring together the manufacturers of Italy, Connect2Italy and Mancini Worldwide CEO Alessandro Mancini said, “The aim of Connec2Italy is; Bringing together producers, special destinations and experience areas from Milan to Sicily. We have a strong cooperation with THY, they fly to 8 different cities in Italy,” he said.
EXPO 2030 Rome Candidacy Committee, Special Ambassador for the Mena Region, Fabio Nicolucci, said: "Rome Expo 2030 is a unique opportunity to focus on people and their ability to reinvent the city, balancing both development and environmental sustainability."
Ivna Jelinic, President of Enit Italy Tourism Board, said, “Hospitality is a common value that Turkey and Italy have. We are waiting for you to our country in order to show the Italian hospitality. At this point, THY is an important stakeholder of us. We thank them very much,” she said.
Emphasizing that they serve the world with 337 destinations, Turkish Airlines Sales Vice President (Southern Europe) Ömer Faruk Sönmez said, “We want to fly to other destinations in Italy to show the beauties of Italy. Palermo is a destination that Italy also wants to highlight. We, as THY, operate our flights to Palermo. In addition to all these, sustainability is very important to us, and we take important actions in this regard. As THY, we have saved 2019 tons of fuel since 55.495, which means approximately 174.800 tons of carbon emission reductions.
Presidents Session Talked about the Future of the Industry
The second event of the day, the Presidents' Session, one of the classics of the EMITT Fair, determined the roadmap of the sector with the title "Insight Leaders Explain 2023 Tourism Forecasts".
In the Presidents' Session moderated by Tourism Consultant Osman Ayık; TÜRSAB President Firuz Bağlıkaya, TTYD President Oya Narin and TÜROFED President Sururi Çorabatır brought the latest developments that shape the sector to the agenda. In the session, important issues such as current tourism figures, measures, actions, future expectations and roadmap were discussed.
Emphasizing that there have been ups and downs recently, TTYD President Oya Narin said, “Events such as the Russia-Ukraine war and the pandemic have both tired and strengthened the tourism sector. The most injured group was the travel agency and we lost the most of our personnel in human resources. In order to maintain the sustainability of the sector, we need to keep human resources with us. Issues such as incentives or taxes need to be decided together in the coming period and formed through consultation. Türkiye tourism does not only consist of Antalya. It should not be forgotten that there is an Istanbul, Aegean and Eastern Anatolian sector in the sector. A transformation program in tourism should be made and other destinations should be paved. New financing models are needed for investments and businesses. We must make this sector attractive to our esteemed agencies, accommodation facilities and young people.”
Moderator Tourism Advisor Osman Ayık's "What is expected from the public and the ministry in the last 5 years?" Firuz Bağlıkaya's answer to the question was “We hope for more of the support they are currently maintaining”.
Erkan Yağcı, Vice President of TÜROFED Board of Directors, said, “The geography we are in is not an easy one. There have been 3 disasters in Turkey recently that also affected the tourism sector; One of them is a pandemic, the other is war, and the other is an earthquake disaster. Governance is the most important of this business, reason is superior to reason and our common denominator is the progress of tourism. Türkiye is a country known for its hospitality, so we should not have a margin of error. There is a need to be managed together with a common mind. Thus, we can raise the perception of Türkiye in tourism to the highest level. The reputation we create with the service we provide is very important. We can do this together. Working closely and communication is a very important key in overcoming and managing the crisis.