Congress Tourism and Effects of Environment on Congress Tourism in Turkey

This article on Congress Tousrism is Written By Tugberk Ugurlu In 2008 for the project assignment of Tourism And Environment Lecture at Mugla University In 2008
17 April 2010
1 minutes read
Assignments
2
 Congress & Convention Tourism
1
 Tourism
10

'Tourism And Environment Project Assignment / School Of Tourism And Hospitality Management - Mugla University, 2008'

CONGRESS TOURISM

Tourism is one of the fastest running industries in the global and congress tourism is a part of tourism industry fostering tourism development worldwide and it enables tourism to be sustainable. The tourism industry can be divided into leisure tourism and business tourism and congress tourism represents the business part.

Congress tourism might be regarded as business tourism and there is not one commonly used definition for business tourism but ICCA (International Congress and Convention Association) uses this definition:

”Business tourism is the provision of facilities and services to the millions of delegates who annually attend meetings, congresses, exhibitions, business events, incentive travels and corporate hospitality”.

According to the report issued by ICCA, delegates that attended international meetings spent 1800 dollars per person in 2006. Also according to UIA (Union of International Associates), every year approximately 900 congresses are organized in 218 different countries. 75 millions people travel via these congresses. Tourism income in the World is nearly 560 billions and congress tourism accounts for 30 % of this income.

Bordering benefits of congress tourism on the way of these figures is not a right way to find out what congress tourism provides to a country. In addition to that, huge congresses come with organizations and big, irreplaceable advertisement opportunities that are no paid to your country because in this kind of tourism activity you have a chance to bring very elite and famous brands and people to your country. By this way, name of your country can be heard with these famous brands and people in the presence of the World.

As you can understand, congress tourism has a tangible effect on the economic of a tourism country.


CONGRESS TOURISM IN TURKEY

In term of congress tourism, Turkey is a magnificent and suitable place to organize meetings. History and cultural heritage, Turkey is an amazing possibilities world. Turkey provides richness of first class hotels, resort and conference facilities. In Turkey, Istanbul is the first choice for meetings now and Izmir and Antalya fallow Istanbul with their high class hotels.

Since the dawn of the time, Istanbul has been a meeting place of the people from different religions and cultures. It has a proven infrastructure in order to receive the world.

In Turkey, congress tourism plays an effective role for alternative tourism. That is estimated as 300 dollars that a tourist spends for a costal tourism activity but this figure is over 1800 dollars in congress tourism. Its efficiency is much more than the other tourism activities as well. Tourism income from congress tourism according to the report of ICCA. It means that a tourist spends more 1500 dollars if s/he travels for business.

On the other hand, there is no enough congress centers that enables to organize so serious, big conferences and meetings except Lütfü KΔ±rdar Congress and Exhibition Centre although Istanbul is situated in an ideal area with its natural and cultural beauties.

Turkey has luxury hotels with meeting rooms and they nearly constitute whole congress supply. Some of them are below:

NAME OF THE HOTEL

MEETING HALLS

TOTAL CAPACITY

Sungate Port Royal

26

6096

Maritime Pine Beach

30

4228

Fame Residence Lara

3

4000

Kervansaray Lara

15

3923

Limak Atlantis Hotel

14

3920

Wow Kremlin Palace

10

3690

Adam & Eve Hotel

16

3616

Resort Dedeman Antalya

10

2260

Pegasos Hotel & Convention Center

11

1472

La Chateau De Prestige

7

1450

Rixos Premium (Belek)

1

1400

Grand Cevahir Hotel & Covetion Center

 

 

Swiss The Bosphorus

 

 

Sheraton Istanbul Maslak

 

 

Swissotel Grand Efes Izmir

 

 

Crowne Plaza Izmir

 

 

Sheraton Cesme

 

 

La Blanche Resort & Spa

 

 

Concorde De Luxe Resort

 

 



Now, Turkey is on the way of developing in term of congress tourism and Turkey needs:

  • New convention centers;
  • Technical and financial support in term of advertising and marketing;
  • A good planning system for congress tourism.


EFFECTS OF ENVIRONMENT ON CONGRESS TOURISM

As well as the relationship between congress tourism and economic, environment concerns congress tourism deeply. At first glance, that seems environment doesn’t have an important effect on congress tourism. Basically, this effect is not as high as coastal tourism but it cannot be ignored that environmental resources are needed on congress tourism as well, especially artificial environment.

Congress tourism can develop in areas which have so strong infrastructure and superstructure where high technologies can be used. First of all, a city should have a strong communication and transportation system and it is so obvious that the city need to be capable of providing air transportation easily.

In Turkey Istanbul has a modern and colorful airport opened only five years ago. State of the art technology was used at its construction. Apart from Turkish Airlines 50 other airlines have daily flights to Istanbul from 70 international cities. The average flying time to reach Istanbul is only between 2, 5 – 3 hours from all major cities of Europe, Middle-East and North Africa. The flying time to Istanbul is 9 hours and from Tokyo is 11 hours.

Artificial environment is so important for meetings and this kind of environment should be capable of providing every kind of technical facilities. In order to provide these technical facilities, this artificial environment needs to be equipped with high technology.

These equipments are constituted with:

  • Table microphone
  • Cordless & wired potable microphone
  • Simultaneous translation system
  • Slide projector
  • Flipchart
  • Lamination system
  • Sound and video recording system
  • Projector screen
  • Overhead projector, internet connection
  • Lectern

Each equipment is a part of this artificial environment and each one is needed for a perfect presentation.

Not only artificial environment but in addition socio cultural environment plays a fundamental role in any process of congress tourism. Socio cultural structure of the city, the nightlife of the city, shopping facilities in the city, history of the city and museums can have an effective influence on congress tourism, for delegates come to a different city to not only deal with their works and be interested in conferences, but also get to know a new city and culture and entertain.