E-campaign to encourage tourism

MUĞLA - Anatolia News Agency

The Southern Aegean town of Marmaris welcomes approximately 3 million tourists every summer, according to officials. A new short film project aims to bring tourists to the region especiallly during the spring and winter. DHA photo

The Southern Aegean Hoteliers Association (GETOB) and Marmaris Tourism Union (MARTAB) have launched a new campaign to promote Marmaris and the surrounding region at domestic and international tourism fairs, as well as through social media.

Tourism professionals want to tap into the audience of millions who use social media websites.

MARTAB General Coordinator Sedat Kirt said today’s tourists uploaded photos and videos of their holidays to social media websites, thus sharing their experiences not only with close friends but also with a wider audience.

“Such websites have many direct and indirect effects in the promotion of tourism centers in the world,” Kirt said, “Especially Europeans read comments on social sharing websites before they go on holiday.

Nearly 30 percent of them make their decisions according to the comments and visuals on these websites. At MARTAB, we have started working to promote Marmaris and its surroundings on social sharing websites.”

Promotion with short films

Kirt said the promotional campaign would consist of short films with the themes “Four Seasons Marmaris” and “Rural Tourism,” adding that Marmaris welcomed many guests in the summer months and that the new project aimed to increase the number of visitors coming to the region during the winter and spring.

Thousands of images of Bodrum, the Marmaris and Fethiye, the popular tourism centers in the southern Aegean, are also being used in the campaign. They show the people, natural beauty and colorful nightlife of these towns, all of which have received a positive reaction from foreign tourists.

Approximately 3 million tourists arrive in Muğla each year, usually visiting Bodrum, the Marmaris and Fethiye.