Izmir Skal Club, working for the development of global tourism, visited Izmir Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Tunç Soyer and thanked him for the 83rd International Skal World Congress to be hosted by Izmir and his contributions to tourism. Stating that they are working to bring Izmir tourism to the place it deserves, Mayor Soyer said that they will further increase the number of tourists coming to the city.
 
Izmir Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Tunç Soyer hosted the Izmir team of the international tourism non-governmental organization Skal International. Güner Güney, Chairman of the Board of Directors of İzmir Skal Club, Emre Gezgin, Vice Chairman of the International Federation of Skal Associations, and members of the Board of Directors of İzmir Skal Club attended the visit at the Egemenlik House. At the meeting, tourism professionals thanked Mayor Soyer for the 83rd International Skal World Congress, which will bring together tourism professionals from all over the world in Izmir between 16 - 21 October 2024, and for the breakthroughs he has made in the field of tourism in the last 5 years.
 
“"It is our duty to increase the number of tourists to 5 million."
Expressing his happiness to host Skal Club members, Mayor Soyer said, “You are raising the bar of this sector. We are happy if we can support you too. As a result of all these efforts, this city, this country will win. It is very sad that we still receive around 2 million tourists. It is not acceptable for the numbers to remain here. Since we live in this city, we cannot digest this. "It is our duty to increase these numbers to 5 million in the future," he said.
 
“We will make our voices heard to wider audiences”
Güner Güney, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Izmir Skal Club, said, “Together with you, we have carried out activities from Izmir to Turkey and from Turkey to the world. We went to Croatia and made a beautiful presentation of Izmir. We said 'Time to Izmir'. We were in Malaga last November and made an Izmir presentation there. At the end of all these studies, we will hold the 83rd International Skal World Congress between 16 - 21 October 2024. We will make our voices heard to larger audiences and introduce Izmir to the world. Since Skal members are decision makers of tourism around the world, the better we promote Izmir, the better investments can come. "I thank you for your support throughout this process," he said.
 
“This thank you is a global thank you.”
Emre Gezgin, Vice Chairman of the International Federation of Skal Associations, said, “The main purpose of this visit is to thank you for the extraordinary support you have given to the Skal community and tourism since 2019. This thank you is expressed not only on behalf of us but also on behalf of global tourism professionals. You have supported us regularly since 2018. You stood by tourism professionals during the pandemic period. The concrete support you gave to Skal, Izmir and the Turkish community was rewarded throughout Turkey and we brought the 83rd International Skal World Congress to Izmir. "The support you provide lies behind all this work," he said.
 
“Tourists are always satisfied and comfortable”
Bülent Tercan, Vice Chairman of the Aegean Touristic Operators and Accommodations Association (ETİK) and İzmir Skal Member, said, “We were talking about these issues in the past. We were trying to explain that tourism and promotion are as important duties of municipalities as garbage collection. There was no need to explain anything to you, you immediately extended your hand. In this regard, we, the tourism professionals, thank you wholeheartedly. Now, not local tourists or expats come to Izmir, but foreign tourists who will leave foreign currency. You are always sensitive. "In this respect, tourism professionals are always satisfied and comfortable," he said.
 
Tourists enter Kemeraltı at night
Speaking during the visit, Izmir Skal Club General Secretary Mine Güneş Kaya thanked Mayor Soyer for the transformation project he initiated in the historical Kemeraltı Bazaar. Mine Güneş Kaya said that they will take the participants of the ENTER Congress of the International Federation of Information Technologies in Travel and Tourism (IFITT), which will be held in Izmir between 16-21 January 2024, for a night tour in Kemeraltı, which has gained a brand new look with the lighting work.