Mayor of Izmir Metropolitan Municipality Tunç Soyer He spoke at the 2021-2022 General Assembly of the Izmir Foundation. He is also the President of Izmir Foundation. Tunç Soyer“We have spent the last three years to the fullest, without saying pandemic, earthquake, economic crisis, and without sheltering behind excuses. We think that 2022 will be the lifeblood of the tourism sector.”
The 2021-2022 General Assembly of the İzmir Foundation was held at the İzmir Chamber of Commerce Assembly Hall. President of Izmir Metropolitan Municipality and Izmir Foundation to the General Assembly Tunç Soyer, İzmir Deputy Governor Fatih Kızıltoprak, İzmir Provincial Culture, Tourism and Tourism Director Murat Karacanta, Efes Selçuk Mayor Filiz Ceritoğlu Sengel, İzmir Chamber of Commerce Board Member Oğuz Özkardeş, Aegean Industrialists and Businessmen Association President Mustafa Karabağlı, İzmir Chamber of Craftsmen and Craftsmen Union President Zekeriya Mutlu, Aegean Region Chamber of Industry Vice President H. İbrahim Gökçüoğlu, Turkish Travel Agencies Association Board Member Tolga Gencer, Çeşme Touristic Hoteliers Association President Yakup Demir, İzmir Foundation General Manager Deniz Karaca and İzmir Foundation members.
2022 will be the lifeblood of the sector
President giving the opening speech Tunç SoyerStating that a new era has been entered for the tourism sector, he said, “After the decrease in the number of tourists in 2020 and 2021 due to the pandemic, we started 2022 with a momentum that gives us hope. We can see this even by looking at the off-season data. In the January-April period of 2022, we achieved a 2019 percent increase in foreign tourist customs entries compared to 20. When we look at the first quarter of the year, we see a 10% increase in the number of domestic tourist accommodation. In short, we are getting closer and closer to our goal of capturing and exceeding the 2022 data in 2019. We think that there will be a greater increase in the number of both domestic and foreign tourists in the coming months with the effect of the season, and that 2022 will be the lifeblood of the sector.”
Steps are taken to develop urban tourism
Mayor Soyer stated that a 5-year strategy has been determined to bring İzmir to the place it deserves in tourism, with the support of İzmir Foundation members and the partnership of all city stakeholders as İzmir Metropolitan Municipality and İzmir Development Agency. to make it a city where tourist expenditure increases every year. To become a prominent destination, especially in the Mediterranean Basin, with its sustainable tourism approach that contributes more to the city's economy. In the last three years, we have carried out many important works together in this direction. 2024 was perhaps the most active year in this sense. We published the Visit İzmir mobile application in June 2021, with the partnership of İzmir Metropolitan Municipality and İzmir Foundation, with the sponsorship of Sun Express. In line with our goal of spreading tourist mobility over 2021 months, we have taken many steps to develop urban tourism. We opened a total of 12 tourist information offices in Alsancak, Kültürpark, Konak, Kemeraltı and Hisarönü, with the joint efforts of our Municipality's Tourism Branch Directorate and İzmir Foundation. With the bus parking area we created in front of the Konak Information Office, we have become a remedy for our agencies that bring tourists to the city center and Kemeraltı. With the branding and route works we have done for Kemeraltı, we have accelerated the steps that will attract both domestic and foreign tourists to the city center. As a result of the work of TARKEM, Konak Municipality, İzmir Development Agency and İzmir Metropolitan Municipality UNESCO Office, Yeşilova and Bayraklı We succeeded in putting Kemeraltı on the UNESCO World Heritage Tentative List, under the title of historical port city, together with the connection points of Smyrna. Now our goal is to bring İzmir a third world heritage site with Kemeraltı after Bergama and Ephesus,” he said.
Tourism rises in Izmir
Underlining that their goal is to make İzmir a city that is known with the UNESCO brand, Mayor Soyer said, “Again, in this process, we participated in many national and international fairs, physical, digital and hybrid, together with our stakeholders. We continued to disseminate the patterns we created, inspired by the harmony of Izmir with its past, all over the city. Perhaps the most pleasing development this year was to see the cruise ships again in Izmir Bay after a 6-year hiatus. At the end of three years of negotiations with the partnership of Izmir Metropolitan Municipality, Izmir Chamber of Commerce, Chamber of Shipping, TÜRSAB and Izmir Foundation, a total of 34 ships will anchor at the port this year. Hosting cruise ships in İzmir with their increasing numbers in the coming years is among our priorities. Also last year, we implemented the Direct İzmir project with the partnership of airline companies, İzmir Metropolitan Municipality and İzmir Foundation. Our aim is to increase the number of cities with direct flights from Izmir. As of the 2022 summer season, with the addition of cities such as Bodrum in Turkey and Tbilisi, Skopje, Geneva, Beirut and Manchester abroad, information on a total of 68 destinations can be accessed on the website of directizmir.com. We are doing a lot of work to make İzmir a center of attraction not only in the tourism sector, but also in the world of culture and art.”
İzmir's share of tourism will increase
Mayor Soyer mentioned that İzmir Cinema Office, which was implemented in partnership with the Metropolitan Municipality, provided support to dozens of films in 2021 as well, and said: Izmir is getting a brand new cinematic plateau. Izmir will bring the cinema leg, which is stuck in Istanbul, to the city. We have spent the last three years to the fullest, without saying pandemic, earthquake, economic crisis, and without sheltering behind excuses. But what we can do for İzmir tourism is not enough. In order to achieve the goals we have set, it is a necessity for all institutions to come together and act with a common mind. As institutions from Izmir, we have high hopes and expectations for 2022 with the work we do. I believe that Izmir will increase its share of tourism in the coming years with your contributions.”
İzmir Foundation General Manager Deniz Karaca explained the activities of İzmir Foundation in the period of 2021-2022 to the members of the board with a presentation.
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