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May 02 | 2023
The 26th EMITT – The Eastern Mediterranean International Tourism and Travel Exhibition, one of the world's five largest tourism exhibitions, which brings together numerous representatives of the tourism industry, attracted a great deal of attention from visitors and exhibitors.
“The 26th EMITT – The East Mediterranean International Tourism and Travel Exhibition,” organized by ICA Events, which organizes pioneering exhibitions in the leading sectors in Türkiye, was held at TÜYAP Fair and Congress Center from April 12 to April 15, 2023. The exhibition was opened with the participation of Mehmet Nuri Ersoy, the Republic of Türkiye Minister of Culture and Tourism, Ali Yerli Kaya, the Governor of Istanbul, and Ekrem İmamoğlu, Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality Mayor. Visited by various ambassadors, consuls, governors, mayors of participating provinces and districts, bureaucrats as well as sector organizations, the EMITT received a great deal of attention during the entire exhibition.
The 26th EMITT Tourism Exhibition, one of the world's five largest tourism exhibitions, hosted 28,815 visitors and nearly 600 exhibitors from 95 countries. More than a total of 150 hosted tour operators from 42 countries and 5 international influencers participated this year in the "Hosted Tour Operator" program, which is held every year within the scope of the exhibition, especially including key countries such as France, Tunisia, Canada, Bulgaria, Spain, the United Kingdom, Switzerland, Iran, Italy, Greece, Hungary, Singapore, and Azerbaijan.
Organized under the corporate sponsorship of the Republic of Türkiye Ministry of Culture and Tourism, the Republic of Türkiye Governorship of Istanbul, Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality, and Turkish Airlines, in business partnership with Turkish Hoteliers Federation (TÜROFED) and Turkish Tourism Investors Association (TTYD), the 26th EMITT Tourism Exhibition hosted tourism professionals as well as those who wish to plan vacations in some of the best holiday destinations at affordable prices
Speaking at the opening ceremony of the exhibition, the Minister of Culture and Tourism Mehmet Nuri Ersoy said, “EMITT is a very important organization that has made a significant contribution to the growth of the tourism industry for the last 25 years and has managed to become one of the 5 greatest tourism exhibitions in the world, increasing the number of exhibitors and visitors every year. In this sense, we are extremely proud that our exhibition opened its doors to industry stakeholders in the 100th anniversary of our Republic. We managed to become the third country hosting the most tourists by setting the record at the end of 2022 in terms of pre-pandemic figures. We are taking firm steps towards achieving our goals. We have increased the total income and number of visitors coming to Türkiye.”
Emphasizing that the tourism industry is the most important showcase of Türkiye in the international arena, Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu said the following during his speech at the opening ceremony: “Tourism brings people closer to each other. EMITT is an exhibition that carries and enables others to carry this spirit. In this context, I would like to thank all EMITT managers and industry representatives who contributed to this project on behalf of our Istanbul and Türkiye. The tourism industry is the most prominent showcase of Türkiye. It is an industry that shows us, that tells about us, that makes us feel our nature, our civilization, our history, and even the vision of our people about the future.”
Calling attention to the fact that the 26th EMITT Exhibition made great contributions to the national economy, tourism, and branding of Türkiye, EMITT Exhibition Director Hacer Aydın said, “EMITT Exhibition, an event considered as the heartland of the tourism industry, was flooded by visitors this year just like the previous years. We provided the opportunity for top government officials, brands leading the industry, tour operators, travel agencies as well as many professionals to gather around the same table. We focused on solution offers by sharing our insights into the tourism industry for the year 2023 and ahead. We hosted a total of 28,815 visitors, nearly 600 exhibitors, and 5 international influencers from 95 countries. Providing many opportunities in the international arena, including those for new purchasing, business development, new business and cooperation, EMITT provided all exhibitors with the opportunity to meet over 150 hosted tour operators from 40 countries by making pre-scheduled appointments using the B2B appointment system, which was developed with an aim to offer the exhibitors more benefits and allow them to schedule meetings in a more efficient manner.”
Key Destinations of Türkiye Introduced at EMITT
The Exhibition, where the exhibitors, hosted tour operators, and sector experts from all around the world discussed various global and local agenda items of the industry, included 95 countries, the world’s main tourist attractions, and nearly 100 destinations from Türkiye. Provincial and district municipalities received a great deal of attention from visitors while they were promoting the tourism regions of Türkiye during the 26th EMITT Exhibition. Key destinations such as Balıkesir, Edirne, Antalya, Mardin, Diyarbakır, Kapadokya, Siirt and Şanlıurfa became the center of interest of the visitors.
The Future of Tourism Industry Discussed at the EMITT Conference Stage
With its comprehensive conference and event program, EMITT has turned into an information, inspiration, and networking platform for both exhibitors and visitors. The main topics contained in the 2023 Event Program of EMITT, opening its doors to the industry for the 26th time this year, included Turkey's vision for and efforts in health and wellness tourism, particularly sustainability, ground-breaking technological applications that enhance customer experience, promotion of our cultural heritage and branding, and best practices in eco, agro, and gastro tourism.
The Presidents’ Session, which has become one of the traditions of the EMITT Exhibition over the years, received a great deal of attention this year just like the previous years. The session titled “Opinion Leaders Provide Their Insights About Tourism in 2023” which brings together the opinion leaders of the industry and moderated by Tourism Consultant Osman Ayık, was held with the participation of TÜRSAB President Firuz Bağlıkaya, TTYD President Oya Narin, and TÜROFED Vice President of the Executive Board Erkan Yağcı. During the session, which underlined the significance of EMITT carrying out ongoing efforts for 26 years to serve the industry and help the industry grow further, the future of the tourism industry was discussed in great detail. While the latest developments leading the industry were included as an agenda item in the session, some important topics such as the recent tourism figures, measures, actions, future expectations, and roadmap were also discussed. Another session of the day was titled “Turkish Airlines Present Italy and Its Beauties”.
On the second day of the Exhibition, topics titled ‘Sustainable Destination Management’, ‘Health Tourism Plan in Export Strategy’, ‘Influencer Strategies for Taking Destinations Beyond the Stereotypes’ and ‘Rising Powers of the Industry: Eco-Agro-Gastro Tourism’ were discussed by the industry representatives. During the sessions featuring destinations, influencers, and case analyses, the importance of cultural tourism was underlined in addition to discussions about new destinations and types of alternative tourism.
Within the scope of the activities during the third day of the Exhibition, topics titled ‘How Can We Maximize Direct Bookings and Income?’, ‘Tips for Engaging Your Audience through Customized Experiences’, ‘Cultural Heritage on the Axis of Sustainable Tourism’ and ‘Metaverse: The Experience that Expands Tourism Resources’ were discussed by the industry representatives. During the sessions, it was emphasized that expectations in the post-pandemic world had changed while discussing various other topics from the requirement for hotels to be able to differ from their competitors in a highly competitive environment to analyses on the expense items of the visitors coming to Türkiye from various countries as well as touching upon the value and protection of cultural heritage.
With the final sessions titled ‘Entrepreneur Ecosystem in Travel Technologies’ and ‘How Does Travel Tech Facilitate the Business Processes of the Stakeholders in the Tourism Industry?’ of the 26th The East Mediterranean International Tourism and Travel Exhibition – EMITT, which serves for the promotion of Türkiye and turning the tourism industry into a brand, the exhibition came to an end on the last day with the discussions about the importance of the technology in the tourism industry.
Professionals and visitors came together during presentations on a wide variety of destinations for 4 days at the EMITT.
The 26th EMITT Tourism Exhibition, one of the world's five largest tourism exhibitions, hosted 28,815 visitors and nearly 600 exhibitors from 95 countries. More than a total of 150 hosted tour operators from 42 countries and 5 international influencers participated this year in the "Hosted Tour Operator" program, which is held every year within the scope of the exhibition, especially including key countries such as France, Tunisia, Canada, Bulgaria, Spain, the United Kingdom, Switzerland, Iran, Italy, Greece, Hungary, Singapore, and Azerbaijan.
Organized under the corporate sponsorship of the Republic of Türkiye Ministry of Culture and Tourism, the Republic of Türkiye Governorship of Istanbul, Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality, and Turkish Airlines, in business partnership with Turkish Hoteliers Federation (TÜROFED) and Turkish Tourism Investors Association (TTYD), the 26th EMITT Tourism Exhibition hosted tourism professionals as well as those who wish to plan vacations in some of the best holiday destinations at affordable prices
Speaking at the opening ceremony of the exhibition, the Minister of Culture and Tourism Mehmet Nuri Ersoy said, “EMITT is a very important organization that has made a significant contribution to the growth of the tourism industry for the last 25 years and has managed to become one of the 5 greatest tourism exhibitions in the world, increasing the number of exhibitors and visitors every year. In this sense, we are extremely proud that our exhibition opened its doors to industry stakeholders in the 100th anniversary of our Republic. We managed to become the third country hosting the most tourists by setting the record at the end of 2022 in terms of pre-pandemic figures. We are taking firm steps towards achieving our goals. We have increased the total income and number of visitors coming to Türkiye.”
Emphasizing that the tourism industry is the most important showcase of Türkiye in the international arena, Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu said the following during his speech at the opening ceremony: “Tourism brings people closer to each other. EMITT is an exhibition that carries and enables others to carry this spirit. In this context, I would like to thank all EMITT managers and industry representatives who contributed to this project on behalf of our Istanbul and Türkiye. The tourism industry is the most prominent showcase of Türkiye. It is an industry that shows us, that tells about us, that makes us feel our nature, our civilization, our history, and even the vision of our people about the future.”
Calling attention to the fact that the 26th EMITT Exhibition made great contributions to the national economy, tourism, and branding of Türkiye, EMITT Exhibition Director Hacer Aydın said, “EMITT Exhibition, an event considered as the heartland of the tourism industry, was flooded by visitors this year just like the previous years. We provided the opportunity for top government officials, brands leading the industry, tour operators, travel agencies as well as many professionals to gather around the same table. We focused on solution offers by sharing our insights into the tourism industry for the year 2023 and ahead. We hosted a total of 28,815 visitors, nearly 600 exhibitors, and 5 international influencers from 95 countries. Providing many opportunities in the international arena, including those for new purchasing, business development, new business and cooperation, EMITT provided all exhibitors with the opportunity to meet over 150 hosted tour operators from 40 countries by making pre-scheduled appointments using the B2B appointment system, which was developed with an aim to offer the exhibitors more benefits and allow them to schedule meetings in a more efficient manner.”
Key Destinations of Türkiye Introduced at EMITT
The Exhibition, where the exhibitors, hosted tour operators, and sector experts from all around the world discussed various global and local agenda items of the industry, included 95 countries, the world’s main tourist attractions, and nearly 100 destinations from Türkiye. Provincial and district municipalities received a great deal of attention from visitors while they were promoting the tourism regions of Türkiye during the 26th EMITT Exhibition. Key destinations such as Balıkesir, Edirne, Antalya, Mardin, Diyarbakır, Kapadokya, Siirt and Şanlıurfa became the center of interest of the visitors.
The Future of Tourism Industry Discussed at the EMITT Conference Stage
With its comprehensive conference and event program, EMITT has turned into an information, inspiration, and networking platform for both exhibitors and visitors. The main topics contained in the 2023 Event Program of EMITT, opening its doors to the industry for the 26th time this year, included Turkey's vision for and efforts in health and wellness tourism, particularly sustainability, ground-breaking technological applications that enhance customer experience, promotion of our cultural heritage and branding, and best practices in eco, agro, and gastro tourism.
The Presidents’ Session, which has become one of the traditions of the EMITT Exhibition over the years, received a great deal of attention this year just like the previous years. The session titled “Opinion Leaders Provide Their Insights About Tourism in 2023” which brings together the opinion leaders of the industry and moderated by Tourism Consultant Osman Ayık, was held with the participation of TÜRSAB President Firuz Bağlıkaya, TTYD President Oya Narin, and TÜROFED Vice President of the Executive Board Erkan Yağcı. During the session, which underlined the significance of EMITT carrying out ongoing efforts for 26 years to serve the industry and help the industry grow further, the future of the tourism industry was discussed in great detail. While the latest developments leading the industry were included as an agenda item in the session, some important topics such as the recent tourism figures, measures, actions, future expectations, and roadmap were also discussed. Another session of the day was titled “Turkish Airlines Present Italy and Its Beauties”.
On the second day of the Exhibition, topics titled ‘Sustainable Destination Management’, ‘Health Tourism Plan in Export Strategy’, ‘Influencer Strategies for Taking Destinations Beyond the Stereotypes’ and ‘Rising Powers of the Industry: Eco-Agro-Gastro Tourism’ were discussed by the industry representatives. During the sessions featuring destinations, influencers, and case analyses, the importance of cultural tourism was underlined in addition to discussions about new destinations and types of alternative tourism.
Within the scope of the activities during the third day of the Exhibition, topics titled ‘How Can We Maximize Direct Bookings and Income?’, ‘Tips for Engaging Your Audience through Customized Experiences’, ‘Cultural Heritage on the Axis of Sustainable Tourism’ and ‘Metaverse: The Experience that Expands Tourism Resources’ were discussed by the industry representatives. During the sessions, it was emphasized that expectations in the post-pandemic world had changed while discussing various other topics from the requirement for hotels to be able to differ from their competitors in a highly competitive environment to analyses on the expense items of the visitors coming to Türkiye from various countries as well as touching upon the value and protection of cultural heritage.
With the final sessions titled ‘Entrepreneur Ecosystem in Travel Technologies’ and ‘How Does Travel Tech Facilitate the Business Processes of the Stakeholders in the Tourism Industry?’ of the 26th The East Mediterranean International Tourism and Travel Exhibition – EMITT, which serves for the promotion of Türkiye and turning the tourism industry into a brand, the exhibition came to an end on the last day with the discussions about the importance of the technology in the tourism industry.
Professionals and visitors came together during presentations on a wide variety of destinations for 4 days at the EMITT.
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