SPORTS & EVENTS Türkiye ACHIEVED ITS GOAL IN ITS FIRST EDITION.

The event that brought together the global sports tourism sector in Antalya has been successfully completed.

Organized by the Sports Tourism Association and supported by main sponsors Diana Travel, Aksu Tur, and Fraport TAV Antalya Airport, Sports & Events Turkey was successfully completed in Antalya between May 31 and June 3.

The event, which brought together important representatives of the sports tourism sector from all over the world in Antalya, was attended by approximately 50 international sports tourism buyers, event companies, and agency representatives from 21 different countries, including Russia, Spain, Azerbaijan, India, Switzerland, Netherlands, Greece, Finland, England, Germany, Northern Cyprus, United Arab Emirates, France, the United States, Slovenia, Romania, Italy, Ireland, Czech Republic, Canada, and Bulgaria. Including sports tourism destinations, hotels, camp centers, event companies, and tourism professionals from all over Turkey, the total number of participants reached 150.

During the four-day event, over 1,200 one-on-one business meetings were held. In meetings held across 32 different sports, including football, cycling, swimming, marathon, golf, tennis, triathlon, athletics, and many more, new organizations, camp programs, tournaments, and international collaborations were discussed. Sports & Events Turkey went beyond being just a business meeting event, offering participants the opportunity to experience Turkey's sports tourism potential firsthand. As part of the organization, international guests participated in Antalya city center tours, cycled, played golf, experienced canoeing, visited football fields, and inspected sports hotels and camp centers on-site. In addition, guests who participated in various sports activities, especially padel, had the opportunity to directly experience Turkey's sports tourism infrastructure. Throughout the intensive program, which continued from the opening night to the farewell night, participants had a comprehensive experience filled with one-on-one business meetings, networking events, facility visits, destination presentations, and social events. It was observed that international buyers were particularly impressed by the infrastructure, service quality, and organizational experience of the Turkish sports tourism sector. In addition to Antalya, other important sports tourism centers in Turkey such as Uludağ, Erciyes, and Çanakkale also participated in the event. These destinations had the opportunity to showcase their facilities, camp opportunities, and organizational capacity to international participants. Tour operators and buyers from abroad had the chance to see firsthand the diversity and potential of Turkey's sports tourism sector. Sports & Events Turkey, with its scope, the quality of its participants, and the business volume generated in its first edition, signaled its potential to become a significant player in the international sports tourism world. As a result of the meetings held throughout the organization, steps were taken towards numerous new collaborations, and important contacts were established for sports events and camp programs planned to be held in Turkey in the coming period. Nida Kiraz, President of the Sports Tourism Association, made the following statement after the event:

“The results of the first year of Sports & Events Turkey show that we are on the right track. Over four days, we managed to showcase the sports tourism potential of our country to industry representatives from different countries around the world. The more than 1,200 meetings held, the new collaborations established, and the positive feedback we received from the participants made us extremely happy. Our Turkish tourism professionals and sports tourism experts have once again demonstrated their readiness to provide services at international standards and develop new collaborations.”

Kiraz continued:

“Today, Turkey is a candidate to become one of the world's leading sports tourism centers, not only because of its climate and facilities, but also because of its accumulated knowledge, organizational experience, and human resources. With Sports & Events Turkey, we had the opportunity to directly demonstrate this potential to international industry representatives. Seeing the business potential that has already emerged and witnessing the satisfaction of our participants is a great pleasure for us. In the coming years, we aim to further expand our organization and make Turkey one of the most important meeting points in the world in the field of sports tourism.”

Having attracted attention with its success in its first year, Sports & Events Turkey brought together decision-makers from the international sports tourism sector in Turkey, making a significant contribution to the country's sports tourism vision and laying a strong foundation for future years.