The 18th TTI Izmir International Tourism Trade Fair and Congress hosted thousands of visitors, and tourism was discussed in different panels. Sustainable projects that will integrate technology into tourism emerged in the Digitalization in Tourism Hackathon organized within the scope of the Create in Izmir project at the fair.
Hosted by the Izmir Metropolitan Municipality, and organized by İZFAŞ and TÜRSAB, the 18th TTI Izmir International Tourism Trade Fair and Congress brought together tourism professionals, international participants, and visitors from all over the world at Fuar Izmir. Different topics of tourism were discussed in the panels organized as part of the fair. The session titled “Sustainable Destinations and Izmir” was moderated by Izmir Metropolitan Municipality Tourism Branch Directorate Destination Coordinator Sinem Soygül, and featured speakers Iyad Kayali, Regional Director of Green Destinations Middle East and North Africa, Seyhan M. Kuralı, President of the Izmir Metropolitan Municipality Tourism and Fairs Commission, and Bilge Öğünlü, Member of Urla Bağ Yolu and Owner of Urlice Winery. The session also covered the efforts of the Izmir Metropolitan Municipality to develop the city’s tourism, and the process by which Urla Bağ Yolu, which was established with the aim of encouraging sustainable local development, was selected for the Top 100 Sustainable Destination Stories list. It was stated that İzmir’s next goal is to ensure that the districts of Foça, Urla and Selçuk receive a sustainable tourism certificate. Green Destinations Middle East and North Africa Regional Director Iyad Kayali explained the evaluation processes and criteria for the selection process for this list with examples. It was stated that İzmir, which managed to enter the top 100 stories in the competition organized to showcase the best practices of destinations in the world and inspire countries, has the next goal to ensure that the districts of Foça, Urla and Selçuk receive a sustainable tourism certificate.
Izmir's future in tourism was discussed
The session titled “New perspectives in hotel management: How do hotels in Izmir make a difference?” was moderated by Izmir Foundation General Manager Deniz Karaca and featured speakers including Aegean Touristic Operators and Accommodations Association President Mehmet İşler, Çeşme Touristic Hoteliers Association President Orhan Belge and Marriot Hotel General Manager Sercan Korkusuz. Drawing attention to the importance of the right strategy and promotion, the speakers emphasized that Izmir needs to be promoted more with modern tools such as digital marketing and artificial intelligence. It was also explained that existing hotels need to be renewed and the number of hotels increased, new investments encouraged, and the city’s economic added value increased with sustainable tourism. It was stated that six important strategic steps stand out for Izmir to gain a larger share in the future with its qualified tourist target. It was noted that these were increasing awareness for promotion and marketing, all stakeholders in the tourism sector coming together to form an effective coordination board, increasing the number of direct flights from abroad, positioning Izmir as a target destination and promoting it with the right communication strategies, using artificial intelligence and technology for efficiency in both marketing and tourism, and increasing the variety of touristic products in the city. It was emphasized that Izmir could achieve a stronger position in tourism by implementing these strategies.
In another panel, the subject of “Diversification of tourism and thermal tourism” was discussed with the participation of Geothermal Investments Association President Ömer Tosun and Tourism Hotel Managers Association Board President Savaş Çolakoğlu.
“Digitalization Hackathon in Tourism”
The “Digitalization in Tourism Hackathon” was also held at the fair, with the contributions of the Izmir Chamber of Commerce and YABİSAK, within the scope of the Create in Izmir project carried out by Izmir University of Economics. The participants of the Hackathon, organized to redefine the future of tourism, integrate technology into tourism and develop sustainable projects, came together to produce innovative solutions in the tourism sector. At the end of two days of intensive work with the participation of 6 teams and 24 people, the participants developed their projects with the mentoring support of sector professionals and academics and presented them to the jury. As a result of the evaluation of the jury consisting of Prof. Dr. Murat Aşkar, Dr. Ferzan Yalkut and Dr. Gözde Çeviker, the Pathfinders team, which presented designs that emphasize digitalization in tourism with different applications, came first, the TuristCo team came second and the AllinTech team came third.
