Ali Onaran, Chairman of the Board of Prontotour, spoke at the Antalya Tourism Fair, stating that as tourism professionals, they have neglected Turkish tourists. He said, "In other developed destinations, 25-40% of overnight stays in hotels are made by their own citizens. If we want sustainable tourism, we should pay more attention to our own market. Especially the local governments. All local governments, from Edirne to Kars, should be more involved in tourism. I believe that 30% of the 400 million overnight stays should be made by our own citizens. Of course, tourists will come from abroad and bring foreign currency, but we also need our own citizens. As travel agencies, we should create more movement in the domestic market."
Ali Onaran also addressed Türkiye's marketing and promotion strategies abroad, saying, "In terms of marketing and promotion, we should proceed at a more micro level. We should market Bodrum, Istanbul, Antalya, and Alanya separately, rather than just promoting Türkiye. Each destination has its unique features and beauties. We cannot make progress by just promoting Türkiye. Other destinations abroad do their promotions this way and manage their destinations better. I believe that Spain is very good at this. Because Spain markets itself at such a micro level that those who go to the Balearic Islands later realize that this place is part of Spain. We see similar things in Greece as well. They also give more importance to regional marketing. I believe that in the future, excellent work will be done in this regard."
