TTI İzmir sector meeting brought tourism stakeholders together.

Hosted by İzmir Metropolitan Municipality and organized in cooperation with İZFAŞ and TÜRSAB, the TTI İzmir 2025 – International Tourism Trade Expo & Congress sector meeting brought together leading representatives of the tourism industry.

TTI İzmir – International Tourism Trade Expo & Congress will be held for the 19th time at Fuar İzmir between 3–5 December 2025. Before the fair, a meeting was held at the Historical Gas Factory, bringing together sector representatives and institutions. At this gathering, which served as a preparation for TTI İzmir 2025, the current status of the fair and this year’s new developments were shared, and the demands and evaluations of industry representatives were received.

Speaking at the meeting, Dr. Zafer Levent Yıldır, Deputy Mayor of İzmir Metropolitan Municipality, emphasized that İzmir— with its thousands of years of history— is one of the most important centers of tourism in Türkiye, and highlighted that the municipality acts with a strategic vision to carry this strong heritage into the future. Yıldır said, “We want to carry the city’s historical heritage, cultural values, and natural beauty into the future with a sustainable approach. İzmir, with its unique past, is not only a tourism destination but also a representative of a lifestyle rooted in production, sharing, and development. Strengthening İzmir’s tourism potential at national and international levels requires branding, public–private cooperation, and collective wisdom. The TTI İzmir Expo is of great importance for strengthening our city’s tourism brand. Your participation, support, and contributions to the fair will be the greatest resource for enhancing İzmir’s tourism potential globally.” He added, “The strength of İzmir lies in its people—those who produce, share, and believe in the future. This city belongs to all of us. With this belief, we will shape the future of tourism together at TTI İzmir.”

She introduced the fair’s new features

İZFAŞ General Manager Tuğçe Cumalıoğlu stated that TTI İzmir will feature many innovations in its 19th edition and explained that the fair this year will revolve around the themes of sustainability, digitalization, and international cooperation. Cumalıoğlu said, “For 19 years, TTI İzmir has been the heart of the tourism industry. This year, through international collaborations that strengthen our sustainable tourism vision, we are taking the fair even further. The fair will offer new opportunities for both industry professionals and investors. This year, TTI İzmir’s Sustainability Partner is Green Destinations, an international organization operating in 80 countries. Accredited by the Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC), Green Destinations provides sustainability consultancy for Dubai Expo City, serves as the sustainability sponsor of Qatar Travel Market, and has collaborated with ITB Berlin for over 10 years. Their presence at TTI İzmir will not only strengthen the fair’s international network but also contribute significantly to our city’s sustainable tourism policies.”

BookingAgora becomes TTI İzmir’s vision partner

Cumalıoğlu noted that this year’s Vision Partner for TTI İzmir is BookingAgora, a global company in reservation technologies and tourism marketing. She added, “With this partnership, TTI İzmir will bring international tourism networks together in İzmir. As part of the collaboration with BookingAgora, 40 international airline brands, 36 hotel brands, national tourism offices, travel agencies, car rental companies, and technology firms will gather at the fair. This strong network will increase İzmir’s international visibility.”

Destination Black Sea Conference to be held in İzmir

Cumalıoğlu highlighted that one of the key events at TTI İzmir will be the Destination Black Sea Conference, saying, “Within the scope of the project carried out by the Black Sea Confederation, representatives of 18 provinces in the Black Sea Region will meet at the conference to be held during the fair.”

Emphasis on collaboration and solidarity

TÜRSAB İzmir Regional Representation Chair İsmail Hakkı Karadeveci stated that İzmir is not only a destination but also a strong brand distinguished by its history, culture, nature, gastronomy, and people. He emphasized that they work with all stakeholders to grow this brand and elevate it to its rightful place in global tourism. Karadeveci said, “The experiences we have gone through—from the pandemic to economic fluctuations—have shown that tourism can survive only through solidarity, innovation, and cooperation. We are carrying out new projects to spread tourism across 12 months and to develop qualified tourism in İzmir with all stakeholders, from agencies to hotels, guides to transportation. As TÜRSAB, we are taking strong steps in training, digital transformation, regional promotion, and new market exploration. The İzmir Tourism Expo is a concrete reflection of these efforts. We believe that TTI İzmir will pave the way for new collaborations and value-adding developments for the industry.” He expressed hope that this meeting would bring new momentum to İzmir's tourism.

İZFAŞ Fairs Director Yeşim Yiğit also provided information about this year’s fair, its opportunities, and planning.

International participation grows

TTI İzmir will continue to bring together international tourism professionals this year. Through the pre-arranged online platform, participants and visitors will be matched according to their areas of interest, and a business-to-business meeting program will be implemented accordingly. Thanks to the Hosted Buyer Program organized in cooperation with Turkish Airlines, international buyers will hold one-on-one business meetings with fair exhibitors. Buyer delegations will include representatives from Germany, the UK, the Netherlands, Spain, Portugal, Italy, Azerbaijan, Russia, Kazakhstan, China, India, Egypt, Tunisia, Lebanon, Qatar, Kuwait, and the United Arab Emirates, as well as countries from the Far East and South America. This diversity will enable the development of new collaborations between different countries.

In the TTI Stage area, sessions will address topics such as sustainable tourism, environmental responsibility, digital transformation, destination management, and experience-oriented tourism.