TÜRSAB PARTICIPATED IN THE AEGEAN REGIONAL HEALTH TOURISM MEETING
The “Aegean Regional Health Tourism Meeting,” organized in collaboration between the TOBB Türkiye International Health Tourism Council and the İzmir Chamber of Commerce, was held in İzmir with broad participation.
The meeting, moderated by Assoc. Prof. Dr. Özgür Öztan, President of the TOBB Turkey International Health Tourism Council, was attended by İzmir Metropolitan Mayor Dr. Cemil Tugay, İzmir Chamber of Commerce Board President Mahmut Özgener; representing the Association, our İzmir Regional Representation Board President Hakkı Karadeveci, the RRB Vice President Kemal Şençamlar, the Health Tourism Specialization President Şehnaz Atak Askeroğlu, and members of the RRB Board of Directors, as well as representatives from public institutions and organizations.
The session was attended by A. Alperen Kaçar, Deputy Director General of International Services Trade at the Ministry of Trade of the Republic of Türkiye, Seher Taş, Director of the Health Tourism Department at the General Directorate of Health Services under the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Türkiye, Dr. Elif Balcı Fisunoğlu, Deputy General Director of the Türkiye Tourism Development and Promotion Agency (TGA), Şehnaz Atak Askeroğlu, our President of the Health Tourism Specialization Committee, and Yasemin Yaprak Demirtaş, a member of the İzmir RRB Board of Directors, served as panelists.
During the panel, Şehnaz Atak Askeroğlu provided an assessment of the sector’s current structure, highlighting the critical role of travel agencies in the development of health tourism and sharing TÜRSAB’s solution-oriented approaches. The session comprehensively addressed the strengthening of Türkiye’s health tourism ecosystem, improving service quality, and opportunities for strategic collaboration aligned with public policies.
Yasemin Yaprak Demirtaş, meanwhile, emphasized the integrated nature of healthcare services and the tourism experience; she evaluated the role travel agencies play in packaging tourism products specific to Izmir and presenting them to the international market. Additionally, while the importance of effectively representing Izmir at international fairs with all stakeholders was highlighted, strategic perspectives representing travel agencies were shared during the workshop on digitalization and international promotion.
