After reading the news and reactions in the British press regarding some of the recent events in Marmaris, I felt the need to share my views on this matter as a tourism professional who has been working in the sector for many years.

I have been a tour operator in the UK for more than 35 years, working particularly in the specialist sector. I am also based in the Solihull area, so I have a very good understanding of both the UK market and the people of Birmingham.

The bottom line is this: Some British people who make negative comments about Turkey do not actually represent the desired audience in terms of Turkey’s tourism goals. There is a tourist profile in Turkey that looks for the cheapest holiday, especially with the all-inclusive system, spends their days at the hotel pool and drinks alcohol in bars until the morning without even seeing the sea.

This group mostly comes from the lower socio-economic segments of England. Spain and Greece have also been complaining about tourists with similar profiles for a long time.

So what is the contribution of these types of tourists to Turkey? How much income do they leave per person? Our tourism minister needs to put these questions on his agenda.

Of course, this picture is a result of ill-judged tourism policies that have been followed for many years. Businesses also act within the supply-demand balance. However, the real responsibility lies with the authorities, who insist on producing strategies that will attract this tourist profile to the country.

I’ve been following closely the advertising campaigns that Turkey has been running abroad for years. Unfortunately, only the "sun, sea and sand" combination is highlighted in these campaigns and these promotions are designed within the framework of collaborations with major tour operators.

Of course, I know Turkey is a destination with large hotels and high bed capacity. However, it is a serious deficiency that there are almost no advertisements designed on themes such as culture, history, gastronomy and Eastern Anatolia in line with the constantly emphasised "qualified tourist" target.

Small-scale but effective tour operators like us, working as "specialists" and appealing to more elite and conscious British tourists, have been trying to fill this gap for a long time. If such operators are supported, a significant increase in the number of qualified tourists can be achieved. However, if policies that only support mass tourism continue for years, it would not be right to be surprised by what is happening in Marmaris today. This is a natural result of the wrong strategies being followed.

Trying to solve the problem by closing down a few businesses or imposing fines will only provide a temporary dressing effect. A permanent solution can only be achieved by radically changing the tourism vision and marketing strategies.

Akin Koc previously founded Anatolian Sky but has been running luxury specialist tour operator Diamond Star Experience since 2017