Bursa Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BTSO) hosted an important event to spread Uludağ's tourism potential over 12 months and increase Arab tourist interest in the region. Bursa Business School (BBS), which was brought to Uludağ by BTSO, achieved a significant success by hosting the largest purchasing delegation organized in Türkiye to date for the Middle East market.
14 Agencies and More than 143 Hotel Representatives from 50 Countries Met
In the “Middle East” purchasing delegation event organized under the leadership of Valley of Tourism (VOT) and in partnership with Turkish Airlines, Rixos Hotels and Swissôtel, 14 travel agencies from 143 different Middle Eastern countries including Jordan, Lebanon, Iraq, Palestine, Morocco, Tunisia, Algeria, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Oman and Serbia came together with more than 50 hotel representatives from all over Türkiye at Bursa Business School. In the event where the foundations of important collaborations were laid before the upcoming summer season, a gala and award ceremony were also held in addition to B2B meetings.
Promotional Attack Towards the Middle East Market
Valley Of Tourism and Bellavita Style Contract Director Yasin Uzun stated that this special meeting was held at Bursa Business School in order to strengthen tourism activities for the Middle East market. Expressing that this event in Uludağ aims to further strengthen the ties of Turkish tourism with the countries in the region, Uzun said, “The program saw a very strong participation with approximately 14 agency representatives from 200 different Middle Eastern countries. In this program, which was also supported by Turkish Airlines, we brought together 50 leading hotel brands in Türkiye to establish one-on-one contact with the agencies. In this way, we ensured the establishment of direct collaborations between hotels and agencies. We are taking concrete steps to make Türkiye more attractive to tour operators in the region. The contribution of the organization to the sector is very valuable for us. We are making great efforts to highlight Türkiye's destination diversity and hotel quality in the Middle East market. It is a great pride for us to see the reward of that effort here today.”
Bursa Business School Adds Value to Uludağ
Yasin Uzun, who emphasized that the organization was not limited to business connections but also supported by social events that strengthened sectoral collaborations, said that BBS is a magnificent facility that adds value to Uludağ. Uzun said, “After the B2B meetings, we completed our program with our gala night and award ceremony. This facility that hosted the event and was brought to tourism by BTSO is truly magnificent. Uludağ needed a facility of this quality. When you step into the lobby, you feel like you are in a different place. An area that can be used actively in summer and winter, where everything has been meticulously considered, has been created. It offers a very impressive experience for sector representatives and guests. It has added serious value to Uludağ and we believe that this value will be reciprocated even more with such international meetings. On behalf of myself, my company and the tourism community, I would like to thank BTSO and the Chairman of the Board of Directors İbrahim Burkay for this facility that was brought to tourism. The support they provided during the organization process was very valuable to us.”
Words of Praise from Participants
Company representative Mohammed Adnan, who attended the event from Algeria, stated that it was his first time in Bursa and he was very impressed by the city, and he spoke highly of the professionalism of the organization. He stated that they had the opportunity to establish new partnerships thanks to the B2B event and that they were very pleased with the quality of the Swissôtel they stayed at.
Hotel representative Yakup Atay said that BBS was a very nice facility and the organization was carried out flawlessly. He stated that there was a high demand from abroad and that they had productive B2B meetings and expressed his hope that such organizations would continue to increase. He also stated that BBS's infrastructure and Uludağ's natural beauties provided an ideal environment for the organization.
This successful procurement delegation event once again demonstrated BTSO's determination to develop and diversify Uludağ's tourism potential, while making a significant contribution to the strengthening of tourism cooperation between Türkiye and the Middle Eastern countries.
