Turkish Travel Agencies Association (TÜRSAB) Sports Tourism Specialization President Recep Şamil Yaşacan said, “Antalya, even Turkey, has no rival in the world in sports tourism. Before Corona, we reached 3 thousand in the number of camps, and we are going towards 4 thousand annually in the coming period. There are 200 fields in FIFA standards in Antalya for the winter camp," he said.

Antalya, which has been the capital of tourism with the number of tourists and hospitality services it has hosted in recent years, has become the camp center of many teams from various countries during the winter months. Preparations for winter camps have been completed in Antalya, which hosts thousands of teams every year with nearly 200 grass fields. The first group for the camp is expected to arrive in November and December.

“NO LONGER HAS A COMPETITOR IN THE WORLD”
Referring to the importance of Antalya in sports tourism, Turkish Travel Agencies Association (TÜRSAB) Sports Tourism Specialization President Recep Şamil Yaşacan said, “Antalya, even Turkey, has no rivals in sports tourism in the world. If you add up the ones, they won't kill half of us. We can make good use of this and use sports tourism for the promotion of Turkey. Currently, the number of camps held in our country has exceeded 3 thousand. We reached the figure of 3 thousand before the corona, and we are going towards 4 thousand annually in the coming period. We will increase it even more. Among them, we can count football, cycling, tennis, swimming groups. We do it in summer and winter. We organize high altitude camps not only in Antalya in winter but also in summer months. Erzurum, Isparta, Kartepe, Topuk Plateau stand out. Our teams that go abroad for camping in the summer will now want to stay in our country.”

“A VERY GOOD OPPORTUNITY”
Stating that all kinds of conditions are provided for the summer camp, Yaşacan said, “Ski centers are now open for 12 months. Erzurum, for example, started to stay open for 12 months. There is ski tourism in winter, and various sports are done in summer. We gave swimming groups to Erzurum this summer. As a result of these, our workers working during the tourism season will be able to work for 12 months. Our hotels stay open for 12 months. Sports tourism is a very good opportunity for promotion. An athlete has millions of followers on social media. When popular athletes take a selfie or shoot a video, millions see it. The guest is in direct contact.”

“IT WAS A FOOTBALL MARKET”
Pointing out that sports are the promotional face of tourism, Yaşacan said, “The private sector has 200 fields in Antalya. We have fields above FIFA standards, starting from Kemer to Alanya. They are ready now. He will come to our teams in the coming days. Why do they prefer Antalya? The most important thing about Antalya is the weather, the quality of the hotels, the good pitches, and the good logistics. The team from the farthest arrives here in 3.5 hours. Antalya has now become a football market. If we talk about football; January, February and March became the football market in Antalya. All teams gather here. Here, everyone sees their own strength by playing matches with each other. Antalya has become the world arena," he said.

“SCHOOLS STAY OPEN FOR 12 MONTHS”
Yaşacan continued his words as follows: “The arrival status of the teams may change according to the climate of their country. They also come by schedule. Thanks to football, hotels stay open for 12 months. They used to open and close for 7 months, but now it stays open for 12 months. All our hotels are already full. Due to the World Cup, leagues in the world are suspended in our country as of November 13. There will be a 42-day break in football. Turkish teams start to come to Antalya as of November. In the pandemic, our Ministry of Tourism and Culture did a number 10 job. He gave our hotels the Safe Tourism Certificate.”

 

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