Turkey warmly welcomes Russians - Today's Zaman

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R02-19-03-08.qxd 16.03.2008 22:20 Page 102 TODAY’S TOURISMMARCH 19-22, 2008AGENDASunny Turkeywarmly welcomesRussýan tourýstsFHOTO ABDURRAHMAN BÜYÜKKESKÝNcontýnued from page 1People traveled around, now they make money." Hesays an open buffet is no longer something extraordinaryfor Russians. "We don't get any complaints from hoteliersthat Russian customers act worse than other tourists." AhmetBarut, chairman of the Turkish Hotels Federation (TÜROFED),agrees. "Well for one thing, we as a country don't have the luxuryto choose our customers. We consider ourselves lucky justbeing a neighbor to a country like Russia with such great touristpotential. Secondly, it is true that hoteliers had some complaintsin the initial years, but most of those stemmed fromtraveling abroad for the first time. As they traveled more, naturally,as their experience of traveling abroad expanded thebehavior people found less savory naturally normalized."Barut also says that Russians are mostly quite pleased withpeople's attitudes here and the service. "The highest number oftourists out of Russia visit Turkey," he says, saying this serves toshow that Russians are happy with the Turkish vacation. SururiÇorabatýr, head of The Mediterranean Tourism Hoteliers andOperators Union (AKTOB), says that in addition to Turkey's climate,reasonable prices and the good quality of service, Turkey'shotels also offer physical proximity to Russia. Antalya's world-classfacilities in particular meet Russian expectations, Çorabatýr maintains.Tourist love in figuresTurkey's Ministry of Culture and Tourism is spending $10 millionthis year to promote Turkey in Russia. Russians loveTurkey's sun and seas, but there is still much to tell them, assome among them can only name two cities in Turkey (Antalyaand Ýstanbul). In 2007, Turkey hosted 2,465,000 Russiantourists, according to Tourism Minister Ertuðrul Günay, up by33 percent from 2006. Tour operators in Russia and Turkeyexpect that growth to continue this year. Russia sends the second-highestnumber of tourists to Turkey after Germany, whichsent 4 million people to the country last year. For Russia, Turkeyis the top country residents choose for their summer vacation.According to data from Russian governmental statisticsagency Rosstat, Russians are traveling abroad with increasing frequency.In 2003, 5.7 million Russian citizens visited foreign countriesfor the sole purpose of travel or vacation, a figure that rose to6.6 million the next year, 6.8 the following year, 7.8 million in 2006and 9.36 million last year. Turkey remains one of the most populardestinations for Russians still. Last year, however, was significant,since the 30 percent increase in the number of Russiantourists in 2007 followed a 5 percent fall from 2005 according to2006 figures. Indeed, the increase is so conspicuous that lastmonth Turkish Airlines (THY) announced it would begin operatingdirect flights on March 31 between Rostov-on-Don, a city of 1million, to Antalya, a favorite of Russian tourists in Turkey. In fact,THY has been planning direct flights for a long time.Turkey and Russia need each otherTurkey and Russia greatly need each other's help in thetourism sector, Europe Turkey Tourism Council (ETTC)President Hüseyin Baraner said to the press during a meetingof the Russian Turkish tour operators in Moscow in January.Baraner says that Turkey and Russia need to come togetherand set up a Russian-Turkish tourism committee that wouldimprove the sector for both countries. "We can find a place forourselves in the world market by jointly creating new brands."Günay, who was present at the same convention, highlightedthat it was possible for Turkey to host even moretourists. "A majority of Russians still don't have passports,"Günay said, underlining the country's 140 million population."The number of tourists coming to Turkey is bound toincrease as more people there get passports."
R03-19-03-08.qxd 16.03.2008 21:35 Page 1AGENDAMARCH 19-22, 2008TODAY’S TOURISM03Russians make Antalyatheir vacation hotspotAccording to estimates more than 10 million Russians will go on a vacation in 2008.Antalya is the top destination for Russian tourists, among some 300 tourism destinationsaround the globe. Out of the 2.5 million Russians who visited Turkey last year, 2 millionspent their holiday in Antalya. This year, a further increase is expectedMircalol Husanovcontýnued from page 1"This figure is a sign of the interest Russiantourists have in Turkey and particularly inAntalya," he says. "This year we will outnumber theGerman tourists, who are at the top of the list amongforeign tourists visiting Turkey. We can do this if therate of increase continues at this pace. We are pleasedwith so many Russians spending their holidays inAntalya. This shows that our countries and nationsare indeed very close to each other," he notes.Husanov details the features that draw Russiansto Antalya -- its sea, mountains, lush greenery, perpetualsun and rich history. He also touches on thecultural similarities between the two countries."Turkish culture is not alien to the Russian people.They have considerable interest in Turkish culture.Also, the hospitality of the Turkish people and theirwarmth are among the factors that prompt Russiansto come to Turkey," he says.The consul general notes that while Russiansmake great contributions to Turkish tourism, there arealso some things that prevent them from visiting. Hecites double booking as the most common problemRussian tourists encounter in Turkey. "According tostudies, a tourist who leaves a country satisfied withtheir vacation experience will bring three new touristsnext year. However, an unsatisfied tourist will result in11 people not choosing that country. Therefore, it is vitalto ensure tourist satisfaction. In this regard, thegreatest responsibility lies with Turkish tourism operators.The agents working in this sector should be verycareful. It is very important that emerging problemsare solved amicably. Otherwise, small problems maylead to bigger ones. In particular, this year is very important.Last year, some Russian tourists found thatthey had no place to stay because of a double reservation.This year, similar incidents may increase. No oneassumes responsibility for such problems. The hotelaccuses the agency, while the agency blames the hotel.But the tourist is disappointed because he was expectinga good holiday. There has not been much changein the capacity of hotels this year, but an increase intourist numbers is expected. This implies that reservationsshould be more carefully made," he says.Husanov also notes that Russian tourists have complainedabout a general decrease in the quality of serviceprovided by hotels. He makes suggestions on how toimprove tourism opportunities during the winter season."In winter, health tourism takes on importance.Unfortunately, the hotels here cannot make good use oftheir assets. However, they have the required infrastructure.For treatment, post-operative care and recuperation,hotels can offer holidays under a physician's supervision.Moreover, in terms of winter tourism,Davraz and Saklýkent may be utilized for skiing. Onthe same day, a tourist can swim in the pool at the hoteland go skiing. Business and convention tourism,too, should not be ignored. Antalya is an attractiveplace for conventions in the winter," he explains.He gives one further suggestion for Turkishtourism operators: "The big companies in Russia canbe contacted to make deals in which their employeeswould vacation in Antalya. For instance, Gazprom hasmore than 100,000 employees. If suitable promotionalcampaigns can be run, they may choose Antalya."March 19-22, 2008Owner on Behalf of Feza Gazetecilik A.ÞALÝ AKBULUTChief Executive OfficerEKREM DUMANLIEditor-in-ChiefBÜLENT KENEÞEditorChief Marketing OfficerDeputy Chief Marketing OfficerBrand Marketing DirectorAdvertisement Sector ManagersResponsible Manager andRepressentative of the OwnerÝBRAHÝM TÜRKMENYAKUP ÞÝMÞEKBEYTULLAH DEMÝRÝSKENDER YILMAZAHMET BOYACIEMEL DAVARCIHARUN TAZEGÜLLÜALÝ ODABAÞIPublic Relations Contact Information: 0212 454 84 54,Address: Today’s Zaman, 34194 Yenibosna, ÝSTANBUL. Phone:+90 212 454 1 444 Fax: 0212 454 14 97, Web Address: http://www.todayszaman.com,Printed at: Feza Gazetecilik A.Þ. Tesisleri. Advertisement Phone: +90 212 454 82 47,Fax: +90 212 454 86 33. Today's Tourism abides by the rules of press ethics.
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