TÜRSAB BOARD PRESIDENT FIRUZ BAĞLIKAYA ATTENDED FEST TRAVEL'S 40TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION EVENT
Our TÜRSAB Board President, Firuz Bağlıkaya, attended a special evening organized to celebrate the 40th anniversary of FEST Travel, one of the leading companies in the sector. FEST Travel, founded by tourism doyen and TURSAV Board President Mr. Faruk Pekin, celebrated the occasion with the launch of the book "Around the World in Forty Years," reflecting its long history in cultural tourism.
The event, held on Tuesday, December 9, 2025, presented a rich program including a photography exhibition, film screening, panel discussion, and concert, showcasing the 40-year history of tourism to the guests. The evening began with the opening of the "41 Frames from 40 Years" photography exhibition. Following this, FEST Travel's 40th-anniversary film, "Around the World in Forty Years," was screened, sharing the company's cultural heritage and travel philosophy through images from different eras.
In the talks titled "FEST Travel's 40 Years: Cultural Tourism from Past to Future," Bahattin Yücel, our President of the Board, Firuz Bağlıkaya, Prof. Dr. Uşun Tükel, İlkay Baliç, Mr. Faruk Pekin, and Ferhat Pekin evaluated the transformation of cultural tourism in Turkey.
Our President Firuz Bağlıkaya stated the following in his speech:
“Mr. Faruk Pekin, a leading figure in our sector, is a symbol of cultural tourism, which he has brought to this point with great effort. He has been a role model in the spread of the travel agency profession. For over forty years, he has been a pioneer in developing and sustaining cultural tourism, which forms the basis of tourism in Turkey. As TÜRSAB, we are a 52-year-old institution, and Faruk Pekin has spent 40 years in this journey; that is, his contribution has left its mark on 40 years of our 55-year tourism history. If cultural tourism is so developed and widespread today, his struggles and vision have played a major role in this.”
The event concluded with the note, “This special evening is dedicated to the Foundation for the Development of Cultural Awareness,” once again emphasizing the importance given to cultural heritage.
