EMITT Exhibitions will highlight Istanbul’s and Turkey’s outstanding potential by placing convention tourism on its agenda this year. EMİTT Fairs will allocate an entire hall to convention or congress tourism in 2015 ( 20-25January) in order to develop this industry in Turkey. EMİTT will thus introduce Turkey’s vast potential in the field of convention tourism to all tourism professionals and participants through its MICE(Meetings, Incentives, Conventions and Exhibitions)Lounge.
EMİTT , the East Mediterranean International Tourism and TravelExhibition , taking place at TÜYAP on its 18 th occasion andreceiving high praises for Turkey’s health and winter tourism exhibitionsorganized recently in two separate halls, has already undertaken a first by placing convention tourism on its agenda scheduled for next year.
Organizing theworld’s 5 th largest in tourism exhibitions, EMİTT will now introduce Turkey’s outstanding talents and potential in convention tourism through its creative approach at the specialhallassigned asMICE Lounge, with a list of distinguished participants consisting ofthe world’s and Turkey ’s leading MICE professionals, event companies, and convention hotels and centers. EMİTT is striving full force to captivate professional visitors’ interest while also aiming to convene domestic and foreign events purchasers with MICE partakers. EMİTT, facing outstanding interestof futureMICE participants for 2015,has already begun taking requests for stands.
Turkey’s rapid rise of in convention tourism
Maintaining that tourism should not simply be directed at the sea, sand and the sunand that Turkey is one of those rare countries offering winter and health tourismopportunities for a year-round tourism experience, Ekin Fair Director Hacer Aydın , highlights that convention tourism is one of those areas which successfully drew in a total of1.918.179 visitors in 2012.
According to International Conference and Convention Association (ICCA) data,Turkey ranked 14 th worldwide and 23 rd in Europe in a total of 159 international eventsnoted Aydın , emphasizing that cities specifically as Istanbul, along with Antalya, Izmir and various others in Turkey, in fact have a potential far beyond than what is reflected with respect to city infrastructure, geography, culture and historical background. Aydın offers Turkey’s rise from its 20 th spot at world tourism rankings in the 1990’s to its current 6 th in such a short term as proof forherclaim.
Istanbul in the top ten in world convention tourism
Aydın asserts that Istanbul is Turkey’s leading destination in convention tourism due its historical, cultural, geopolitical and economic strength, revealing that it is also one of the world’s leading 10 conventioncenters; Istanbul, in fact, hosted an additional 15 more international conventions, raising the total hosted to 128 in 2012.
Istanbul is ideal as a convention tourism city worldwide, points out Aydın, underscoring that the city has the capacity to host from 100 to 30,000 and above visitors as well as being able to accommodate thousands of delegates at its seven major international exhibition centers and three large performing arts centers. Aydın further emphasizes thatas of the years 2011-2012, the International Conference and Convention Association (ICCA) has avowed Istanbul as the leading convention destination worldwide.
Aydın further adds that many other cities in Turkey also have outstanding promise to host and should have their say in international convention tourism,with Ankara due its regional and international significance and Antalya, İzmir, Muğlaand Bursa due their climate, environment, historical, economic and geographical importance topping her lists for the time being.
2014 ICCA General Assembly in Antalya
International Conference and Convention Association ICCA’s 2014 General Assembly will convene in Antalya on November 1-5 reveals Aydın , adding that this will raise Turkey’s position even higher on this front since there will be a private hall allocated just for convention tourism at 2015EMİTT Exhibition immediately due to follow ICCA’s GeneralAssembly.
Aydın indicates that Antalya’s star will burneven brighter thanks to this prestigious meeting, with the turnout most assuredly due to be much higher than that of ICCA 2013 General Assembly which took place at Shanghai.
Aydın underscores the same success for next year’s convention tourism as those received by 2014EMİTT Exhibition’s health and winter tourisms which also allocatedtwo separate lounges receiving outstanding interestand collaboration of international tourism professionals. Aydın concludes by noting that all efforts to invite each and every relevant institutions and organizations to 2015 EMİTT Fair are underway and proceeding rapidly in order to bring to life Turkey’s full potential in the field of convention tourism.