Tourism industry professionals as well as politicians from around the world are due to gather at a three-day summit in İstanbul to address the impacts of tightening border security measures on the industry on the back of the refugee crisis and recent terrorist attacks in world tourism capitals.
Held by the World Tourism Forum (WTF), a Turkey-based civil society organization, the summit will host panel discussions, during which hoteliers and tour operators are expected to talk about the repercussions of more stringent border controls, particularly in Europe.
Already overwhelmed by the ever-growing refugee inflow to the continent, many European countries have increased border security measures after the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) bombings in Paris, with even some in the union vowing last year to drop the Schengen visa agreement.
The recent ISIL attack in İstanbul, which killed 11 people, most of them German, fueled further security concerns. “We will speak upon the impacts of international crises on the sector. The Turkish economy will also be among the topics of the summit,” WTF Chairman Bulut Bağcı told a press meeting on Tuesday.
While the event will host 123 speakers, 5,000 people are expected to attend the conference, according to Bağcı.
Inspired by the World Economic Forum (WEF) meetings in Davos, the WTF is poised to be the voice of the tourism industry not only in Turkey but globally, Bağcı said.
Former EU Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, the deputy prime minister in charge of the economy, Mehmet Şimşek, the founding partner of Trivago, Rolf Schrömgens, executives from the Thomas Cook travel agency and several ministers from Ghana and Macedonia will also be in attendance.
On the sidelines of the event, the WTF will bring together prominent travel bloggers from 58 different countries who will walk around İstanbul on Saturday to discover hidden sightseeing opportunities in the city.
By Furkan Demirdoven
