Under the auspices of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of the Republic of Turkey, Izmir Metropolitan Municipality hosted by, İZFAŞ ve YESAB organized in the TTI Izmir The International Tourism Trade Fair and Congress will showcase the latest trends in the sector for three days. Izmir, a city distinguished by its deep-rooted history, cultural heritage, and natural beauty, with its ancient cities listed as UNESCO World Heritage sites, rich museums, resort towns, developed tourism infrastructure, and strong tradition of trade fairs, will host the fair and offer an inspiring atmosphere for industry professionals.

Aims to create new market opportunities

TTI Izmir stands out as a global platform bringing together tourism professionals not only from Türkiye but also from around the world. One of the highlights of the fair will be the buyer delegation program, which strengthens international participation. The program aims to create new market opportunities by directly connecting participating companies and suppliers. Last year, the program, which attracted professionals from 66 countries, is being expanded this year. Sector professionals from a wide geography, from Europe and Asia to Africa and the Middle East, will be present at the fair as buyer delegations. Professionals from countries such as Germany, the UK, the Netherlands, Spain, Portugal, Italy, Azerbaijan, Russia, Kazakhstan, China, India, and Uruguay will be participating, as well as representatives from Egypt, Tunisia, other African countries, Lebanon, Qatar, Kuwait, and the United Arab Emirates.
Through a pre-designed online platform, exhibitors and visitors will be matched with suitable companies based on their interests and service areas. In collaboration with Turkish Airlines, we aim to provide transportation support to numerous foreign companies in the procurement delegation program, making one-on-one meetings more efficient.

New destinations and experience opportunities

The fair won't be limited to business meetings. Rising tourism centers will be highlighted in areas where domestic and international destinations are promoted. Attendees will be able to experience the cultural and touristic richness of different countries and discover new business and exploration opportunities.

International hotel brands and many international airline brands will also be present at the fair this year. Many foreign institutions, including the Tunisian Ministry of Tourism and local agencies, the Sarajevo Tourism Association, the Novi Pazar Tourism Office, the Embassy of El Salvador, the Venezuelan Ministry of Tourism, the Seychelles Tourism Board, tourism and accommodation companies from Bulgaria, and fair representatives from Kosovo and Serbia, will also be exhibiting. Furthermore, the official participation of the Greek islands will facilitate the establishment of new collaborations between Turkey and the opposite shores of the Aegean.

The future of tourism will be discussed at the TTI Stage

The TTI Stage at the exhibition venue will be a space where industry innovations and visionary ideas are shared. Panels featuring representatives from local governments, international tour operators, airlines, and hotel chains will address topics such as digital transformation, sustainable tourism, sustainability practices, new destination trends, and experience-focused tourism. Attendees will be able to explore the ideas shaping the future of the industry from diverse perspectives.

Source: HORECA TREND and TTI Izmir

One of the leading companies in the tourism sector ODEON Tourism, has achieved significant success by carrying its leadership in quality management systems to the international arena. As the first subsidiary of Coral Travel Group, the company has been operating in destination services for 33 years. Following its operations in Turkey, the company successfully completed an extensive certification process encompassing 22 offices in Egypt, Tunisia, the United Arab Emirates, Greece, Spain, Thailand, and Vietnam. As a result of these comprehensive audits, it was certified by Bureau Veritas, the world's leading independent certification body. ISO 9001: 2015 Quality Management System ve ISO 10002:2018 Customer Satisfaction Management System documented with certificates.

ODEON Tours Vice President of Destinations (COO), Ozan Somaklar, received the certificates from Bureau Veritas Türkiye General Manager Orhan Yılmaz at a ceremony held at ODEON Tourism's headquarters in Antalya.

Ozan Somaklar, in his speech at the ceremony, said,As ODEON Tourism, we are proud to crown our mission of leading Turkish tourism with over 33 years of experience by registering our quality and customer satisfaction at international standards. This extensive certification process, starting from Türkiye, extending from Egypt to Vietnam and covering a total of 22 offices, is not only an operational success but also continuous improvement our philosophy and It is a global commitment to our unconditional customer focus. The ISO 9001 and ISO 10002 certificates we have received are now the benchmarks for our service quality and customer experience management. world class "This is the most concrete proof of our commitment to excellence. We will further enhance the value we create for our customers and business partners with these international certifications."

The journey of continuous improvement is going global

ODEON Tourism covers all travel agency services in Türkiye. ISO 9001 Quality Management System Standard Certificate As one of the first companies to receive this certification, the company has been continuing its journey of quality since 2001. With its principle of continuous development, the company has continued its work in Coral Seyahat A.Ş. and its other subsidiaries over the years. ISO 14001 Environmental Management System, ISO 45001 Occupational Health and Safety Management System ve ISO 39001 Road Traffic Safety Management System It has adopted and implemented various standards, such as, and has sought certification for some. By applying these systems across its group companies, Odeon Turizm aims to spread a culture of continuous improvement across all its operations.

Quality and customer experience are now world-class

With these newly acquired certifications, ODEON Turizm has taken its commitment to maintaining the highest level of quality and customer focus in all its business processes to the international level. The ISO 9001 certification demonstrates that the company conducts all its operations with a focus on quality and embraces a culture of continuous improvement, while the ISO 10002 certification demonstrates that customer complaints are managed with a transparent and solution-oriented approach, in accordance with international standards.

In a comprehensive audit conducted by Bureau Veritas, ODEON Turizm was found to be highly successful in its quality management, customer focus, transparency, and risk management practices. This success further demonstrates the company's commitment to maintaining the highest level of customer satisfaction and providing high-quality products and services.

Source: HORECA TREND and ODEON Tourism

Representing the investment power of the Turkish tourism sector TTYDis an official partner of Istanbul Tourism Fair ITF 2025 opened its doors at the Istanbul Yenikapı-Eurasia Exhibition and Art Center on September 25–26, 2025. The fair, which hosted agencies, procurement committees, and corporate travel companies from 50 countries, featured over 70 national and international speakers across 17 main topics. Reaching 15.000 tourism professionals in its third year, the ITF has also become a key platform for new collaborations and strategic connections.

“Our tourism revenue broke an all-time record in 2024.”

Speaking at the opening of the fair, TTYD President Oya Narin highlighted Türkiye's strong performance in tourism and said:

Turkey is a country that has written a success story in tourism. In 2024, our tourism revenue reached $61,1 billion, breaking an all-time record. The total number of visitors reached 62,2 million. This momentum continues in 2025. Tourism revenue in the first quarter reached $9,45 billion, and in the second quarter, approximately $16,1 billion. Our country currently ranks among the top four in tourism. This figure clearly demonstrates our country's competitiveness and resilience despite the volatile global climate.

Istanbul, with its ancient history, natural beauty, rich gastronomy, advanced infrastructure, quality accommodations and food and beverage facilities, service standards, and accessibility, is strengthening its position among the world's leading destinations every day. We are showcasing this success, a shared effort of all of us, to the world and contributing to our national economy. Therefore, at this point, our sector continues to move forward with confidence in the future.

"Türkiye is not expensive, we do not compete based on cheapness, we provide qualified and high-quality service."

Our country offers a particularly strong price-quality balance, particularly with its diversity of experiences, high-quality standards, blend of culture, nature, and health, and accessibility. We no longer compete on affordability, but on quality, unique stories, and service quality. Our goal is to strengthen our country's perception of tourism value by increasing revenue per visitor and length of stay.

I want to emphasize here that recent claims that Türkiye is an expensive destination do not reflect reality; on the contrary, they aim to overshadow the achievements of our sector. We are not an expensive country, but we are no longer a cheap one either. We must accept this and set our organizations and goals accordingly.

“We need to use the advantages we have by expanding them.”

Narin emphasized that the success in foreign tourism continues in domestic tourism as well, and continued:

Domestic travel spending reached $1,8 billion in the first quarter of 2025. These indicators confirm that the domestic market is a stabilizing anchor and a regional development tool for our sector. This is one of our key advantages in tourism. Our competitors lack such opportunities, and the new tourism initiatives, particularly those launched in Arab countries, with the exception of Spain and Italy, lack such capacity. Therefore, a completely foreign-dependent tourism sector is a challenge, particularly in terms of sustainability and return on investment. We must leverage this advantage by expanding it.

Tourism has three stakeholders: our government, our guests, and ourselves. We've done everything we could to bring tourism to this point. Our government is satisfied with our figures and performance, our guests are satisfied with the service we provide, and are we satisfied as well? If we're dissatisfied, we need to address our needs. Because we need new approaches to international competition. We must all work together to highlight the necessity of these approaches, open them up for discussion, and elevate our country to even greater heights.

As the Turkish Tourism Investors Association, we continue to work on valuable projects such as these, as well as forums like the Tourism Investment Forum, to improve the return on investment and the investment environment while also developing the business.”

The future of accommodation and investment was discussed at the Presidents' Session

During the fair's "Presidents' Session," moderated by journalist Hakan Güldağ, TTYD President Oya Narin and TÜROB Board Chair Müberra Eresin made important assessments of the tourism sector's present and future.

Oya Narin: “We must initiate the third move in tourism.”

Addressing the financing problem in Turkish tourism, Oya Narin gave the following messages:

2025 wasn't an easy year, but despite this, our overall trend is upward. Türkiye's tourism performance has gained significant momentum. However, when we look at the breakdowns of this growth, we see that accommodation challenges persist. While travel and transportation revenues are growing, accommodation isn't growing at the same rate. Employment costs in our sector, once 38-40 percent of total costs, have now risen to 50 percent. This, in turn, is dragging down profitability. We need a new perspective and financing models. These steps weren't taken this year. However, approximately 200 of the 2 million beds need to be renovated each year. However, due to insufficient financing, this isn't happening.

The future of Turkish tourism requires a third tourism initiative and a new growth story. Our country, in particular, needs to increase its share of global tourism. To achieve this, the government, investors, and the financial system must jointly develop a new plan. If the banking system provides adequate financing and working capital support, it can drive up prices in the sector. Otherwise, our prices remain under pressure due to resource constraints. Furthermore, it is possible to generate resources by converting some of the 2 million beds into residential units. If we fail to launch this third tourism initiative, our competitive advantage will be weakened in the face of attacks from countries like Saudi Arabia, Greece, Egypt, and Dubai.

"We also have a human resources problem. Young people who receive tourism training do not stay in the sector because we cannot provide a 12-month job and a stable income. We need to solve this issue as well."

The financing architecture of Turkish tourism must be renewed

Oya Narin emphasized that the tourism sector needs new financing models for new investments. She said, “Government mechanisms are open to tourism, our municipalities are open to tourism, and our people are open to tourism. All the building blocks are in place. There's only one thing left: financing. We see the potential and appetite in this area. Of course, many events unfold in the international climate, and there's nothing the sector can do about them. Investors are withdrawing, bankers are withdrawing. In fact, we shouldn't. At this point, the Turkish tourism sector needs to make both capital and equity investments. What Türkiye needs to do is develop financing models. Furthermore, we need to elevate our success in the global tourism arena with a new tourism plan. For example, Dubai achieves 80-90% occupancy, even in the heat of July. What they're doing is cooling down the pools. We need to be able to do this too. We need to create added value and explore different forms of tourism. How will we do this? With new investments.”

Narin emphasized that the growth in global tourism represents an opportunity for Turkey, saying, “World tourism will grow even further. We must not lag behind this growth. We must diversify our tourism sector. We will have new competitors, but none of them can truly compete with us. None of them have the culture, nature, or human resources we do. You'll understand the human resources shortage in Spain and Italy when you visit them and see middle-aged people on the bus. But we still have the advantage of a young population. As the public sector and NGOs, we need to develop a new model.”

Source: HORECA Trend and TTYD