BOARD MEMBERS
Board Members
Firuz B. Bağlıkaya was born in Istanbul. After completing his higher education in the department of Hotel Management and Tourism, he studied foreign languages abroad.
He has been working in the tourism sector specifically in hotel management and travel agencies since 1980. Between the years of 1995 and 2020, he conducted tour operator activities with the brand Detur which brought more than 250 thousand tourists annually from Russia, Finland, Norway, Sweden, and Denmark. Mr. Bağlıkaya continues to work in different fields of the tourism sector, mainly in the travel agency.
Firuz B. Bağlıkaya is assigned as a member of the Board of Management of the Turkey Basketball Federation for a while. In addition to this duty, he also participated in prestigious international organizations like the FIBA World Basketball Cup, the World Gulf Championship, and the Final Four of the European Basketball Championship in Turkey and Europe.
Between the years 2011 and 2014, he served as the 2nd President of the Association of Turkish Travel Agencies (TÜRSAB). Since March 2018 he is the President of TÜRSAB.
Bağlıkaya also serves as the Chairman of the International Congress and Exhibition Center (UKTAŞ) and Kuşadası Efes Congress Center (KOMER); Istanbul Congress and Visitors Bureau (ICVB) Deputy Chief Executive Officer, Foreign Economic Relations Board (DEIK) Board Member, Tourism and Travel Agencies Foundation (TURSAV) President and Chairman of the Board of Trustees, Tourism Development and Education Foundation (TUGEV) Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors and the Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Turkey (TOBB) Travel Agencies and Guides Council Member.
Davut Günaydın was born in 1969. He graduated from Erciyes University with a Bachelor's degree in the Business department in 1997. He established Tigris Tourism. He served as the Chairman of the Board of Directors of TIT Business Partnership at the İzmir Universiade 2005 and Erzurum Universiade 2011 organizations. He also worked as a Board Member at UKTAŞ, KOMER, and TURSAV; and served as a member of TÜRSAB’s 21st Term Board of Directors. He remains his duties as the Chairman of the Board of Tigris Tourism and a Member of the Board of T. Maritime Enterprises. He speaks English and Japanese also he is married and has two children.
Hasan Eker was born in 20 June 1972 in Bursa. He graduated from the Faculty of Tourism at Mersin University. While he was establishing Burkon Tourism in 2000, he organizes National and International Congresses and carries on a business in plane tickets as a member of IATA. Eker was a lecturer in the department of Tourism at Uludağ University between the years 2002-2005; and, was the Founding President of Bursa Tourism Platform. He also remains his duty as a councilman in Bursa Trade and Industry Association.
Elif Ural was born in 1980. She graduated from Communication Faculty at Istanbul University. She established the MedWorld Tourism travel agency which actively serves 10 offices in numbered countries. In 2019, she established the MedWorld Health Services Inc. Rixos Downtown, which is Turkey's first Physiotherapy and Rehabilitation Center with Accommodation within the Resort Hotel. In addition to that, she established MedWorld Global Health Services Inc. Pine Beach Belek in 2021 and Oral and Dental Health Polyclinic in 2022.
Talip Aldemir was born in 1980. He started his career in the tourism sector with the travel agency that he established in 2005. He held different positions on the Cappadocia Regional Representation Board for about 10 years. He served as the President of the Cappadocia Regional Representation Board in the 24th term. He remains his duty as a member of the 25th Term TÜRSAB Board of Directors. In addition to the travel agency operations in the Cappadocia region, Aldemir also continues his activities in different branches of tourism such as hotel management, transfer, transportation services, and outdoor activities. He is married and the father of two children.
Mehmet Akyıl was born in Diyarbakır in 1973. He graduated from Electrical and Electronic Engineering at Azerbaijan Polytechnic University. He served as the President of TÜRSAB Diyarbakır, Southeast Anatolia, and Mesopotamia Regional Representation Board. He remains his work in tourism activities at Bimaş Tourism and Travel Agency which he established in 2004. He is still the Turkish flag carrier airline GSA in Iraq. He is fluent in English and Russian. He is married and has three children.
Yıldırım Taş was born in İstanbul. After Etiler Tourism and Hotel Management High School, he graduated T.O. Travel Agency Department at Istanbul University. He worked in several positions in important travel agencies in Turkey. He established – and still keeps, the Tourism Atelier in 2011 in Turkey. He speaks English at the advanced level, and Spanish at the intermediate level. He served as the treasurer for two terms in the TÜRSAN European BYK. He remains his duty as the President of TÜRSAB’s İstanbul European Region Representation Board. He is married and the father of one child.
Erol Türk was born in 1969 in Ermenek. He graduated from Ege University Computer and Anadolu University Faculty of Business Administration, and he is still the Chairman of the Board of PAXIMUM Turizm A.Ş and SAN Yazılım A.Ş.
He is married and the father of two children. He is fluent in English language.
Engin Ceylan was born in 1982 in Izmir. He completed his primary, secondary, and high school education in İzmir. Then, he graduated from the Department of Tourism and Travel Management at Mersin University. He has been working at a travel agency in the tourism sector in the fields of corporate companies, fairs, MICE organizations, golf tourism, and flight ticket sales since 2002.
Board Members Substitutes
Rıza Perçin was born in 1976 in Demre. After completing his education in Demre and Antalya, he has been in Germany for two years. He is currently the President of the Board of Directors of the DIG Group which operates in the travel agencies, hotels, restaurants, merchandising, and construction industry.
Özgen Uysal was born in 1981 in Izmir. He completed his primary, secondary, and high school education in Fethiye. After that, he graduated from the Faculty of Agriculture and Anadolu University Faculty of Business Administration at Ege University. Until 2004, he worked in different companies and family companies in management positions. He started Papirus Tourism in 2004 which provides services for airport transfer, car rental, boat tours, regional tours, and local support to the MICE segment. He served as an Alternate Member of the TÜRSAB Board of Directors. Mr. Uysal is married and has one child.
Esra Başeksioğlu was born in 1974. She graduated from Ankara University Chemical Engineering and Başkent University Tourism and Hotel Management departments. With the establishment of 28Anse Turizm in 2008, she started to operate in the outgoing and domestic markets. Ms. Başeskioğlu is currently the Treasurer of the TÜRSAB Asia Regional Board of Representatives and a Member of the Turkish Soroptimist Clubs Federation.
Oya Ebru Küçükel was born in 1983. After completing his primary and secondary education in Ankara, she continued her high school education in Istanbul. Then, she started his higher education at Kültür University, Department of Tourism and Hotel Management, and continued at Bahçeşehir University, Department of Business Administration in English. She has been working in various travel agencies in the tourism sector since 2007, and she started Ebiturizm in 2013. She also served as the 23rd Term TÜRSAB Europe BTK Board Member, and the 24th Term TÜRSAB Supervisory Board Member. She continues incoming-outgoing activities with Meby Travel company in Dubai, which she founded in 2022.
Küçükel, who is married and the mother of two children, is a member of the Florya Turkish Mothers Association and Bakırköy Voluntary Environmentalists Association, and also works as a volunteer for stray animals.
Kerem Serkan Çoban was born in 1974. He is a graduate of Istanbul Technical University Geophysical Engineering. He has been a manager in the field of MICE since 1998. He is the founder and chairman of VIA TRANSPORT and New World Travel PROGO travel agency since 2014. He still remains in his professional life as the Chairman of the Board of New World Travel. Mr. Çoban served as the Specialization Chairman of TÜRSAB Highway Tourism in the 24th Term. Kerem Serkan Çoban, who also serves as the Consultant of the National Camping and Caravan Federation. He is married and has a child.
Gökhan Ataseven was born in Ankara in 1982. He completed his primary, secondary, and high school education in Ankara. He graduated from the Department of Tourism and Hotel Management at Hacettepe University. He started to work in the field of travel agencies in the tourism sector in 2003. In 2006, he founded the Gömü Tourism and Travel Agency. He continues his activities with the organization of cultural tours in the domestic and foreign markets. Mr. Ataseven was a member of the Board of Directors of the Central Anatolia Regional Representative Board and also a member of the Anadolu Tourism Platform.
Ali Yaramışlı was born in Diyarbakir in 1983. He completed his primary, secondary, high school, and university education in İzmir. He graduated from Eskişehir Anadolu University Faculty of Business Administration. He served on the Izmir Regional Representation Board for three terms. He continues to be a member of the Izmir Chamber of Commerce Council for the 2nd term. Mr. Yaramışlı is the owner of Rover Tourism and co-founder of Tatil Tree Tourism.