Organized to increase the number of foreign tourists and Turkey's market share in areas such as weddings, meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions, the International MICE & Wedding Forum – IMWF 2019 has kicked off in Antalya for the fourth time this year.

The event, supported by the Industry and Technology Ministry in partnership with the national flag carrier Turkish Airlines (THY), as well as IMWF and the Western Mediterranean Development Agency (BAKA), brings together decision-makers guiding the international destination weddings, meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions sector from many countries including India, the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) and Dubai.

IMWF, which will continue until May 16 this year, brings together agencies with hotels, airline companies, industry suppliers and managers, foreign social media bloggers and journalists in Antalya's Belek region.

The forum, which greets the leading names of international destination weddings, meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibition sector in Antalya, strives to raise the market share of Turkey, which has considerably proven itself in the sector so far.

In his keynote speech, Necip Fuat Ersoy, the Managing Partner of IMWF, pointed out that the leading names of MICE and destination wedding industry once again came together in Antalya thanks to the forum, recalling that last year's event led to a notable increase in demand, which in turn was reflected in a record number of applications in IMWF 2019.

"We put together the best and most effective ones among these applications. While we were at the very heart of the industry, we conducted an international communication survey for the IMWF all year round with the sector influencer Sabbas Joseph joining our international advisory committee," Ersoy continued. "While carrying out all these activities, we have progressed within the framework of a common vision in line with our promotion strategy in coordination with the Ministry of Culture and Tourism and the General Directorate of Promotion."

Stressing that IMWF served as a significant indicator to reveal the sector's strength in international competition, Ersoy noted that the event repeatedly showed that tourism was the strongest sector in international competition with all its components and openness to development, adding IMWF was a significant example in the sense that the sector became aware of the need for self-confidence.

Ersoy stated that they were working to create a significant added value for the promotion of the country and the Turkish economy with IMWF 2019, underlining they expected significant results from bilateral talks.

Inventum Global Managing Partner Bünyat Özpak, on the other hand, said the summit, attended by the CEOs of premium wedding agencies leading the international wedding industry, especially India, was a prominent promotion movement in the history of India and Turkey. "The summit is of great importance for the promotion of Antalya in the global event sector, particularly in the Indian event sector," he added.

Wizcraft International Entertainment founder and manager Sabbah Joseph emphasized the importance of Turkey's location, saying Antalya held a great advantage with its natural, cultural and historical beauty, infrastructure and service quality, while IMWF contributed to the region's attraction in the meantime.

With the panels, promotions, booths and one-to-one interviews conducted within the scope of the event, the aim is to make Turkey a popular wedding and MICE destination and to increase its share in the ever-growing market.