It was reported that the Turkish fair industry continued its upward trend in the number of organizations and visitors last year, after 2021 under the influence of the Covid-19 epidemic, and the number of foreign visitors also increased in the 100th anniversary of the Republic.
According to the data of the Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Turkiye, sector representatives hosted 9 million 533 thousand 125 visitors, 372 thousand 833 of whom were foreign, in 254 fairs in 2021, and reached 18 million 881 thousand 296 visitors, 845 thousand 91 of which were foreign, in 413 fairs in 2022.
Making an evaluation about the sector to the AA correspondent at the event he attended in Bursa, Vice President of the Turkish Fair Producers Association and General Manager of TUYAP Fair Organisation Inc., Ilhan Ersozlu, said that the Turkish fair industry continues to grow.
Ersozlu stated that after the Covid-19 epidemic, Turkiye, one of the countries that made the best progress in the fair industry compared to its competitors in the West, continued this trend. “At the end of 2023, we see an approximately 40% growth in the number of visitors (compared to 2022) and a 50-60% growth in international visitors in some fairs. These growths will continue.”
Ersozlu stated that when we look at the countries around Turkiye, it is located in a geography where conflicts and regional problems are intense.
Emphasizing that the country is seen as the safest port despite these conditions, Ersozlu said, “Our country is seen as the safest port with its geography, culture, tourism, financial structure or logistics system and production structure. The world’s inclusion of our country in the supply chain, and the alternative production centers of many sectors shifting from Asia Pacific countries to our geography, has also enabled the growth of the fair industry.”
“The aim is to organize quality fairs rather than too many fairs”
Ilhan Ersozlu reminded that thousands of people lost their lives in the Kahramanmaras-centered earthquakes on February 6 and many sectors in the region were affected.
Explaining that there was great pain, Ersozlu continued as follows:
“There is a construction industry there that has been devastated. There are regions and cities where rubble collection is being carried out. These painful situations also bring opportunities. It is predicted that the construction industry will grow significantly in that region in the coming period, and the figures of the Turkish construction industry will also increase and grow in that region. When we consider every need of the house, from the bathroom to the kitchen and glassware, we predict that the tens of thousands of buildings to be built in that region will create an important market, which will also affect the growth of the fairs in Istanbul, Adana and Gaziantep.”
Ersozlu said that they plan to organize fairs to meet the needs of that region at TUYAP Adana Fair and Congress Center.
Stating that they will organize a “Solid Waste Fair” on recycling in Adana and that they plan to organize an international recycling fair in Istanbul, Ersozlu stated that R&D studies are continuing and that they have goals in line with needs and basic principles.
Giving information that more than 300 fairs will be held in Turkiye next year, Ersozlu said, “Food, agriculture, book and construction fairs are known as the sectors where the most fairs will be held. Of course, these numbers were around 500 before the pandemic. The number of fairs is now around 300. The aim here is to organize quality fairs rather than too many fairs. Fairs that will fill all the halls and create added value for those cities. We care about this. Rather than increasing the number of fairs, we are trying to expand the existing fairs, increase their quantity and enrich them, and integrate a model where everyone wins and all sectors, our country and cities win.”
Source: AA / Prepared by Irem Yildiz