Considered as one of the most important destinations of world tourism, Antalya ranks high among the cities preferred by sportsmen as well as tourists with its climate and natural beauties. Hosting more than 9 million tourists this year despite the pandemic, Antalya makes a name for itself not only with sea, sand and sun tourism but also with sports tourism. Hotels in Serik, one of the most important camp centers in Turkey for football teams, have completed their preparations for football tourism. The maintenance of the pitches has been completed in Serik, where approximately 80 of the more than 300 facilities that comply with FIFA standards are located in the city. Zafer Alkaya, Member of the Board of the Mediterranean Touristic Hoteliers and Operators Union and Cornelia Diamond General Manager, said that the city’s infrastructure and opportunities for football tourism are at a high level. Pointing out that the climate of Antalya is very suitable for teams from home and abroad to camp, Alkaya said that during the camp season, which covers the end of January and March, around 1000 teams will come to the city for nearly 1500 events.
‘INCOMING TEAMS GENERALLY FROM THE RUSSIAN MARKET’
Mentioning that the football teams with high brand value that camped in the past years did not prefer Antalya this year, Alkaya said, “The teams that come are mostly from the Russian market. The interest from the teams in the sub-category of Europe continues. Our wish is to host important teams from the strong leagues of Europe. This is our facility. “It’s very good at that. Let the brand teams come to our country so that we can host them here. We see that the interest in Antalya has decreased due to the short half-time break in the leagues. Last season, the Super League teams evaluated and came, albeit for a short time. There is no development for this season for now,” he said.
‘OUR PURPOSE IS TO CAMP IMPORTANT TEAMS IN ANTALYA’
Mentioning that football tourism has been negatively affected by the pandemic, Alkaya said:
“The reason why the big teams did not prefer Antalya dates back to the pre-pandemic period. The lower prices of the rival countries Spain and Portugal and their being in Europe affected us negatively. We are a city that has achieved this success. We want to bring important teams to Antalya by continuing our efforts again. “The budget is not important. The advertising chances of brand teams should be examined differently. They not only make money, but also advertise our country. Our first aim is to ensure that important teams camp in Antalya. Even though the conditions are difficult, we have a lot to create attraction.”
‘OUR EXPECTATION IS HIGHER COMPARED TO 2020’
Gürsel Kaya, sales and marketing director of Calista Luxury Resort, pointed out that football tourism is one of the important sources of income in Antalya and the country’s tourism. Explaining that the number of teams coming to Antalya has decreased due to the pandemic, Kaya said, “As football tourism facilities, our effort is to return to the old times. We host them by following the highest rules in pandemic conditions. We are working to finish their camps positively. Our expectation this year is at a higher level compared to 2020. However, it is not in 2015 figures. We will host teams from Azerbaijan, Belarus, Armenia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Uzbekistan, Russia and Tajikistan, Eastern Europe and Balkan countries. The number of teams coming from Western Europe is low due to the pandemic.”
‘NO RESERVATION FROM SUPER LEAGUE TEAMS’
Stating that the Super League teams have not made a camping reservation in Antalya this season due to the short half-time break, Kaya said, “If there are no cup matches between the 10-day halftime, we will be able to host the Super League teams in our region at the end of January. There are no reservations so far. Camping makes a significant contribution both economically and in terms of promotion,” he said.
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