We Had a Pleasant Conversation with Nida Kiraz, President of the Sports Tourism Union.
You took on the role and responsibilities of the new president of the Sports Tourism Union four months ago. I know there are many projects. Can you summarize the last four months, the reasons for your decision, and the future process?
Antalya is experiencing significant development and growth in sports tourism across all sports disciplines. As the producers of sports, we strive to ensure that these activities are carried out in a healthier and more dynamic manner. We are conducting various activities to ensure communication between the private sector and public institutions, to accurately convey needs. Since my first day in office, I have been working to create the organs of the Sports Tourism Union that will address all branches of sports. We aim to represent emerging sports such as tennis, swimming, cycling, golf, football, and canoe tourism as the Sports Tourism Union.
We also have a goal of expanding the Sports Tourism Union from the Antalya region to all of Turkey. In this context, we have held our initial meetings. During these meetings, our Provincial Tourism Director, Provincial Sports Director, and the President of ATSO have shown positive approaches and provided support on these matters.
QUALITY TEAMS NO LONGER CHOOSE TURKEY
In the last five years, there has been a significant loss of quality teams in football tourism in Antalya; quality teams no longer prefer Turkey. Of course, there are political consequences, but there are also various other outcomes. Our aim is to organize a "Football Cup" to make Antalya an attractive destination for football camp tourism. We plan to conduct an eight-stage tournament, intending for this organization to support the promotion of Antalya and winter tourism. The public institutions and organizations we have spoken with have also given us significant promises of support. We are moving in the right direction.
The greatest contribution of sports tourism is its activity during the winter season, ensuring the continuity of employment. If we can diversify the sports disciplines and provide more demand, it will become a significant reason for hotels to open. Therefore, we will assist in the development of areas that cater to sports tourism in facilities. In line with these goals, the promotional contributions of famous personalities coming to Antalya will reach a separate level. We are working swiftly and diligently to create this synergy.
Great, that sounds very good. What are the quickest decisions or actions that need to be taken in sports tourism?
Firstly, at the recent Tourism Council meeting, the topic of including health tourism and sports tourism in the incentive scope was discussed. In this context, the government already has a will. We are interested in the development of facilities both in terms of accommodation and travel agencies conducting sports activities.
WE NEED TO ORGANIZE TOURNAMENTS
In every sport, we need to quickly organize tournaments supported by the government, public institutions, or large company sponsorships. Because when you organize tournaments, their visibility in the world increases, and they become attractive centers. Just to give you an example: during the previous World Archery Championship held here, athletes came from 154 countries for the qualifiers. There were also athletes from South America, South Africa, and East Asia. Normally, it might have been difficult to bring these people to Antalya through regular vacation tourism, but they came because of an international organization. They formed their opinions about Antalya and built a perception in their minds. Everyone was surprised; they didn't know how beautiful Antalya was. We need to quickly elevate these types of activities, events, tournaments, and organizations.
What do you think about the necessity for sports clubs to participate in sports tourism?
Sports clubs have very large budgets and organize major events. When we look at the major sports clubs in Turkey, they participate in at least 15 different sports. Those who organize sports tourism and those who travel for sports tourism create an aura that ensures the region becomes an attractive center. Sports tourism is indeed a topic that all sports clubs should support. This means we need to invite sports clubs to become part of this union and to act collaboratively.
WE WANT TO INCREASE OUR SHARE OF THE PIE
I don’t see it as far-fetched for sports tourism to be recognized as a main branch in its own right and to be specialized in this field.
Let me provide some mathematical context: According to 2023 data, the global sports tourism market is worth around 450 billion euros annually. They predict it will reach 500 billion euros in 2024. As Turkey, we have captured around 4.5 million euros from sports tourism this year. We foresee this amount reaching 5 billion euros next year. Therefore, it appears that we have not yet received the share we deserve from sports tourism. Our goal is to increase this share and ensure that Turkey finds its rightful place, just like in accommodation tourism or leisure tourism.
There is a product in sports tourism and also a marketing aspect. Are there new methods and initiatives possible in this marketing area?
There aren’t many international fairs organized regarding sports tourism in Turkey. We need to hold large-scale sports fairs that will attract the world's attention and cater to all sports disciplines and ensure that we present ourselves well. In this context, we are currently working on the infrastructure for the website turkeytraining.com. Our aim is to gather all the private stakeholders and public institutions that have sports facilities and infrastructures in Turkey in a way that is categorized by all sports disciplines on this website. We also have a goal for it to become the face of Turkey's sports tourism. Additionally, we are organizing a page where anyone, regardless of where they are in the world, can find out who to contact for any sports camp or organization in Turkey.
THE ANTALYA TOURISM FAIR ALSO HAS PARTNERSHIPS
The Ministry of Trade has serious support regarding sports tourism through the Service Exporters Association. For example, at the Antalya Tourism Fair, they cover 60-70% of the booth fee for companies that are members of the Service Exporters Association. This is a very important issue. The start of such support within the country shows that the government and various ministries are turning their attention to sports tourism.
The Ministry of Trade has also made an initiative in this regard. We particularly aim to utilize this incentive from the Ministry of Trade regarding the 'Football Cup' we are trying to organize in Antalya.
We also have a collaboration with the Sports Tourism Union as the Antalya Tourism Fair.
Absolutely. Our goal here is to convey the importance of sports tourism to our existing tourism investors and professionals in the tourism world and to raise awareness.
