Antalya will host 1200 teams as well as 2 thousand camps in sports tourism during the November-May period, which is considered the 'dead season'.

'IT LOOKS LIKE THERE WILL BE 2 THOUSAND-2 THOUSAND 500 CAMPS'

Sports Tourism Union Association President Arif Gözoğlu stated that they will open the 2023-2024 season and said, “Reservation procedures for the teams have started. We start with Western Europe first. Then, we continue until the end of March with the camps of countries such as Russia, Turkmenistan, Georgia and Kazakhstan. It seems that there will be approximately 2 thousand - 2 thousand 500 camps for all sports branches. "We think 1000-1250 teams will come," he said.

'WE HAVE ENOUGH FACILITIES'

Stating that the occupancy rate in hotels is ensured with the reservations of the teams, Gözoğlu said, “Hotels in most parts of Antalya are full from the beginning of January to the end of February. Since we have a large number of facilities in Antalya, there is no problem. Since the half-time period in Turkey is about 1 week, Super League teams will not come. "It was planned for the youth teams to come, but it is not clear what will happen after the attack on the last referee," he said.

'THE RETURNS OF THOSE WHO COME DURING THE DEAD SEASON ARE MORE VALUABLE'

Noting that there are teams from every country coming to Antalya for the camp, Arif Gözoğlu said, “There are teams and athletes from Western Europe, Russia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, almost every country. This year, there are no half-time breaks in the leagues as before. There is also the European Championship this year. That's why there isn't much halftime gap. For this reason, we do not think that very different teams will come. Accommodation days vary for each team. "As a result, since there are people coming in the off season, the return is much more valuable," he said.

YAŞACAN: WE REACHED THE DESIRED NUMBERS

Şamil Yaşacan, President of the Former Sports Tourism Association and Bicycle Tourism Association, said: “All hotels with fields are full. We have reached the desired numbers. We can think of it as a camp organization from 2 thousand. Of course, it's not just football this year. The number of people coming for cycling teams and individual cycling is much better. As a bicycle tourism association, we brought the world's largest bicycle race series to Antalya this year. These are the countries that will compete in Turkey for 3 months and collect Olympic points. China, Japan, Korea, Indonesia, most of Europe and Arab countries will come to Turkey. "Here, they will participate in camps, training and international races, collect country points and participate in the Olympics," he said.

'BICYCLE TOURISTS WILL CREATE A GREAT ECONOMY'

Pointing out that the tourists who come for bicycle races are more qualified and rich, Yaşacan said, “There are athletes and amateurs. They will make a great contribution to the promotion of our country and create a great economy. Also, after coming for the race, they will come to Turkey as amateurs and stay in bike-friendly hotels. This will make a great contribution to our country. "Because these are a very rich customer base who do this job very well," he said.

'OUR FIRST TARGET IN BICYCLE TOURISM IS 5 BILLION EUROS'

Stating that there is a turnover of 55 billion Euros in bicycle tourism in Europe, Şamil Yaşacan said, “In our rival Spain, the number of bicycle-friendly hotels is 1200. In Turkey, this number is only 38. We have not made any money from bicycle tourism yet. We are in a process of development with the contributions of our new ministry. I believe that it will reach great places in 2-3 years. Our target is at least 5 billion Euros in the first stage. If we reach 10 billion Euros, we will earn good money as a country. These tourists are always travellers. Not the people staying in the hotel. They take part in organizations in historical places, in our forests, in our parks, and in the city. These are the customers who spend money. They have millions of followers. There should be such promotions on social media. This is the real promotion anyway. "Antalya is number 1 in the world in sports tourism," he said.

'OUR COUNTRY IS A HEAVEN FOR SPORTS TOURISM'

Yaşacan said, “Our country is actually a paradise for sports tourism in the world. If we could make these investments and organize them well, our country would benefit greatly from this. We will earn very, very good money and it will be very good for the promotion of our country. Because the teams come in the off season. Ski resorts at high altitudes are closing. Athletes are coming. Our hotels are not closing, our employees continue. Normal tourists come to Antalya in summer, and athlete groups come to Antalya in winter. Our hotels continue to remain open for 12 months. "So sports tourism is very important for this country," he said.

'BOTH FIELDS AND HOTELS ARE OF VERY QUALITY IN TURKEY'

Makarenko Aleksandr, sports director of FC Novosibirsk team, one of the Ukrainian 2nd League teams, who chose Antalya for the camp, said, “We have been coming to camp in Turkey for about 20 years. We also went to different European countries. Germany, Slovenia, Spain. But why do we choose Turkey? Because both the fields and hotels in Turkey are of very high quality. The quality of food and hotel grounds is very important. We can also find teams that can play friendly matches here. You can train anywhere, but you cannot find a team to play a friendly match with. 

 

https://www.gmdergi.com/sektorel-haberler/antalya-olu-sezonda-2-bin-kampa-1200-takima-ev-sahipligi-yapacak/