By Sudeshna Sarkar, IANS
Istanbul : Turkey, negotiating to join the European Union and ranking among the world’s developed nations, is seeking Indian know-how to start new luxury hotels chains in the Islamic republic.
“Some of the best hotels are run by Indian groups,” says Goksin Duman, business council coordinator at DEIK (Foreign Economic Relations Board), a specialised organisation founded in 1988 to boost Turkey’s economic, commercial, industrial and financial relations with foreign countries and international business communities.
“Indian hotel chains like the Taj Group are well-known. Turkish entrepreneurs want to tap the Indian expertise. They have seen a lot of opportunities in India,” she adds.
Though Istanbul, the cultural and social centre of Turkey, has over 40 five-star hotels, Duman says it still needs more.
“It is becoming a world commercial centre as well as the venue for international conferences,” she says.
This month, for instance, the city hosted the 5th World Chambers Congress as well as the ministerial conference of least developed countries, in which 50 nations took part.
“So it needs more hotels,” Duman pointed out.
Besides Istanbul, more luxury hotels are also needed in capital city Ankara and other burgeoning cities like Izmer and Antep.
There are several well-known international luxury hotel chains in Turkey, like the Hilton Group, the Radisson SAS Hotels and the Spanish Iber Group.
However, Turkey wants more local chains, like the Dedeman Group that started with contracting and construction and then expanded into mining and finally, in the 60s, into hotels with the first Dedeman Hotel in Ankara in 1966.
Officials of the Turkish Federation of Chambers of Commerce and Industries have recently held consultations with a representative of ITC, famed for its five-star hotels as well as heritage palaces, havelis and resorts.
Turkey wants the Indian insight also because it wants to attract more Indian tourists.
“The number of Indian tourists visiting overseas is increasing rapidly,” Duman says. “And it’s not just the sun and the sea and shopping they want.
“The Indian tourist is known for his interest in culture and history. The Association of Turkish Travel Agencies is interested in working out packages, maybe like twin visits to Turkey and Greece.”
The Turkish ministry of foreign affairs began organising a series of seminars in the Asia-Pacific since late last year to draw the interest foreign investors.
After China, Indonesia, Thailand, Hong Kong and South Korea, the juggernaut is coming to India in the autumn to hold investment seminars.
Several Indian groups are already doing flourishing business in Turkey.
They include the Tatas, Mahindra and Mahindra and Polyplex. The Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) and GMR have also arrived in Turkey and the SBI has a representative office.