The 30th AITO overseas conference will be held in...Istanbul!

July 9, 2014 - PRLog -- - Dates from 27^th – 30^th November 2014 -

AITO today announces that it will be heading to Istanbul for its 30^th Overseas Conference in late November - AITO hasn't held a conference in Istanbul for more than 20 years.

Istanbul is Turkey's most populous city as well as its cultural and financial hub. Superbly situated either side of the blue ribbon of the Bosphorus Strait separating Europe from Asia it is, unlike any other city in the world, split between two continents.

Says AITO Chairman, Derek Moore: “Our members tell us that networking and exchanging information is a key benefit of their AITO membership so this conference is an important fixture on our annual calendar.

“We have been wanting to stage our conference in Istanbul for some years as we feel it represents the kind of holiday experience that AITO members like to offer: authentic, culturally connected, adventurous and intriguing. I think our attendance figures at this conference will be very high.”

The Director for Tourism Promotion for the Turkish Ministry of Culture & Tourism, Irfan Onal, says: “We are thrilled to be hosting the prestigious AITO conference in Istanbul this year.  The exposure that the destination will receive gives us an excellent platform to raise awareness and showcase Istanbul’s diverse offerings to its members.  We are very much looking forward to working together and engaging more proactively with AITO and its members to build and sustain a strong and thriving relationship long into the future.”

The event will be staged at the Hotel Park Bosphorus, which is just a short walk from the modern heart of Istanbul, in Taksim Square. The hotel looks out across the Bosphorus to the Asian shore of Istanbul in the other direction - a complete panoramic view of the best of Istanbul.

Events will be held in the modern Art Museum and a Palace on the shores of the Bosphorus and there will be a variety of tours of both traditional parts of the city and on the waters of the Bosphorus.

The conference will address relevant and current issues facing AITO members, aiming to help them grow their businesses and take advantage of the emerging, confident consumer outlook.

AITO tour operators, AITO Agents and affiliates will attend the three-day event along with members of the media, keynote speakers and guests.

AITO will be working with Turkish Airlines but also with various other carriers, as Istanbul is very well serviced from many airports around the UK. Turkish Airlines, for instance, flies from London Gatwick, London Heathrow, Manchester, Birmingham and Edinburgh during the winter months, so AITO delegates will have a choice of departure airports for the conference flights.  The travelling time to Istanbul is less than four hours, making the destination perfect for short breaks as well as longer trips.

Ends / 9^th July, 2014

Press:  For more information, high-res images of Istanbul, Irfan Onal and Derek Moore, or to speak to Derek Moore, Chairman of AITO, please contact Sue Ockwell or Rebecca Milne at Travel PR, telephone 020 8891 4440, email s.ockwell@travelpr.co.uk or r.milne@travelpr.co.uk.

For more information on AITO, visit http://www.aito.com.