Regional hospitality and tourism experts gathered recently to discuss Turkey's dynamic tourism sector ahead of this month's CATHIC (The Turkey & Neighbors Hotel Investment Conference) set to be held at Istanbul's Marmara Taksim from May 29-30. CATHIC speakers Serra Ar?kök, Investments Coordinator of Demsa Group Tourism, Elif Balc? Fisuno?lu, General Manager of Istanbul Convention & Visitors Bureau – ICVB and Ömer ?svan, Chairman of Servotel Corporation joined in the round table discussion chaired by BDO Hospitality Consulting Managing Partner Mehmet Önkal to discuss Turkey's potential, opportunities and challenges. Spearheading the conversation, Serra Ar?kök explained across-the-board infrastructure investment would be needed in Turkey to realize the potential of its tourism sector developments. She said “In areas and regions where hotel investment is possible, the number of art, entertainment and shopping facilities that serve as tourist attractions must see growth parallel to the number of hotels. Ar?kök added that hotel supply must be developed in a controlled manner to avoid bad investments. “An advisory board and consultancy is essential for this reason. We must increase foreign language classes in schools, provide human resources to the sector and give simple language education to the people that tourists are in touch with – like taxi drivers – to support the more qualified professionals in the sector. “Turkey is one of the most fortunate countries in the world in terms of historical and natural beauties, it is also now becoming a centre of entertainment and business where cultural activities are flourishing and it is becoming a city that is repeatedly visited like Paris, London and New York.” Servotel Corporation Chairman Ömer ?svan highlighted some of the challenges faced in the tourism sector. “Challenges include the intricate zoning and building permit procedures, which require substantial patience and perseverance. The process may hinder some of the creativity and leadership elements that we would normally wish to incorporate into development.” Elif Balc? Fisuno?lu highlighted that over the last 10 years Istanbul has hosted large international scale events and congresses and this looks to grow and continue. While Istanbul looks to grow with developments and investments in economic, academic, cultural and social life, Fisuno?lu further emphasized Istanbul's potential of a modern city mixed with history, which makes Istanbul attractive to investors.— SG
