The Future of Tourism Discussed at TTI İzmir

The 18th TTI İzmir International Tourism Trade Fair and Congress hosted thousands of visitors, while tourism was addressed through various topics in the panels held during the event. At the Fair, sustainable projects integrating technology into tourism also emerged during the Tourism Digitalization Hackathon organized under the Create in İzmir project.

Hosted by İzmir Metropolitan Municipality and organized by İZFAŞ and TÜRSAB, the 18th TTI İzmir International Tourism Trade Fair and Congress brought together tourism professionals, international participants, and visitors from all over the world at Fuar İzmir. Different aspects of tourism were discussed in the panels held as part of the fair. In the session titled "Sustainable Destinations and İzmir", moderated by Sinem Soygül, Destination Coordinator at the İzmir Metropolitan Municipality Tourism Branch Directorate, speakers included Iyad Kayali, Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa of Green Destinations; Seyhan M. Kuralı, Chair of the İzmir Metropolitan Municipality Tourism and Fairs Commission; and Bilge Öğünlü, Member of the Urla Wine Route and Owner of Urlice Winery.

During the session, the initiatives of the İzmir Metropolitan Municipality to develop tourism in the city were discussed, along with the selection process of Urla Wine Route into the "Top 100 Sustainable Destination Stories" list, which was created to promote sustainable local development. It was emphasized that İzmir’s next goal is to achieve sustainable tourism certification for the districts of Foça, Urla, and Selçuk. Iyad Kayali elaborated on the evaluation processes and criteria for this selection with examples. It was reiterated that İzmir, which successfully made it into the top 100 in a competition showcasing good practices of destinations worldwide, is now aiming to obtain sustainable tourism certificates for these three districts.

The Future of Tourism in İzmir

In the session titled "New Perspectives in Hospitality: How Can İzmir Hotels Stand Out?" moderated by Deniz Karaca, General Manager of İzmir Foundation, speakers included Mehmet İşler, President of the Aegean Touristic Enterprises and Accommodations Union (ETİK); Orhan Belge, President of the Çeşme Touristic Hoteliers Union; and Sercan Korkusuz, General Manager of Marriott Hotel.

The speakers emphasized the importance of correct strategies and promotion, underlining the need to boost İzmir's promotion through modern tools such as digital marketing and artificial intelligence. Additionally, they highlighted the necessity of renovating existing hotels, increasing the number of hotels, and encouraging new investments to enhance the city's economic value through sustainable tourism.

It was stated that six key strategic steps stand out for İzmir to achieve a larger share of the tourism market with a focus on attracting high-quality tourists:

• Increasing awareness for promotion and marketing

• Establishing an effective coordination board by bringing all tourism stakeholders together

• Increasing the number of direct flights from abroad

• Positioning İzmir as a target destination and promoting it with correct communication strategies

• Using artificial intelligence and technology for both marketing and tourism efficiency

• Diversifying the city's touristic products

It was emphasized that implementing these strategies could help İzmir achieve a stronger position in tourism.

In another panel, the topic "Diversification of Tourism and Thermal Tourism" was discussed with the participation of Ömer Tosun, President of the Geothermal Investments Association, and Savaş Çolakoğlu, Chairman of the Tourism Hotel Managers Association.

"Tourism Digitalization Hackathon"

Furthermore, as part of the Create in İzmir project conducted by İzmir University of Economics, and with contributions from the İzmir Chamber of Commerce and YABİSAK, the "Tourism Digitalization Hackathon" was held at the Fair.

The Hackathon was organized to redefine the future understanding of tourism, integrate technology into tourism, and develop sustainable projects. Participants came together to produce innovative solutions for the tourism sector. After two days of intense work involving six teams and 24 participants, the projects were developed with the mentorship of industry professionals and academics and were presented to the jury.

Following the evaluations by the jury consisting of Prof. Dr. Murat Aşkar, Dr. Ferzan Yalkut, and Dr. Gözde Çeviker, the Pathfinders team, which showcased designs emphasizing digitalization in tourism with different applications, won first place. The TuristCo team came in second, and the AllinTech team took third place.