The Africa Tourism Forum, organized by GM Fuarcılık and Rixos Hotels, brought together hundreds of tourism professionals from over 20 countries at the Rixos Radamis Hotel in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt.
One of the participants, Taras Demura, CEO of Russian tour operator FUN&SUN, provided details about the company's expectations and goals for Türkiye in an interview with Turizm Güncel news editor Savaş Daş.
Demura stated that FUN&SUN is the market leader in cumulative winter and summer season sales in terms of total passenger numbers in Russia and CIS countries. However, within the Russian market alone, the leading tour operator varies by destination. "For instance, in the Russian market, ANEX Tour is probably the destination leader for Türkiye. But when it comes to the Russia + CIS markets, we are the largest tour operator," he said.
Targets for Türkiye in 2024
Regarding FUN&SUN’s goals for Türkiye in 2024, Demura mentioned, "This year, we plan to transport between 1.5 and 1.8 million passengers from Russia and CIS countries to Türkiye. This figure includes both the Antalya and Aegean regions."
Demura noted that FUN&SUN has already sold 40% of its 2024 Türkiye program, but emphasized the intense competition in the market. He observed that the current competition is fiercer than in the past, yet all operators are focused on profitable operations. "No one in the market is focused on numbers; everyone is focused on making money," he said.
Growth Post-TUI
Following its separation from TUI, FUN&SUN has experienced rapid growth. Demura attributed this growth to the company's ability to make independent decisions and become more flexible after exiting TUI’s structure. He highlighted that the company has made the entire holiday process sustainable and invested heavily in technology, aiming for market leadership in the Russian market in the short term.
