Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Turkey

In his message regarding Antalya’s winning of the Expo organization, TOBB President Hisarcıklıoğlu said, “I heartily congratulate Antalya which will be hosting one of the largest organizations ever held in Turkey in 2016, an A category EXPO.

This success will be a point of reference not only for Antalya, but for all of our cities. Expo 2016 Antalya will be a great gain for many sectors, not just landscaping and gardening.

Many sectors will be revitalized including logistics, lodging, food, health, cleaning, landscaping and construction as well as creating jobs.

It is estimated that 5 million foreign tourist will visit EXPO 2016, 2 million of them visiting Turkey for the express reason of attending the EXPO. If we consider that each tourist will visit Turkey on a 500€ tour, this alone means a 1 billion € income, a very significant gain for the city’s economy.

We expect attendees from a hundred countries to come to Antalya for 6 months to display their gardening culture and endemic flora thus promoting their countries.

I believe that this will serve as great promotion in the global arena for Antalya as well a show of force.

- Success from unity and solidarity

Antalya’s success is the validation of a very important truth we’ve recited on many occasions until today.

If the mayor, municipality president, Assembly representatives, NGOs, bureaucrats, employees, residents work together by putting aside all differences when it is beneficial to the city in general there will be peace, prosperity and success. This is the formula for winning.

Antalya has proved the veracity of this statement once more for us by winning Expo. We always spoke from experience when we said that there is grace and plenty in unity, anguish in dissent. This success story is the ability of becoming ‘one heart’ and it is something all of our cities should take an example of.

It is with these thoughts and feelings that on behalf of the TOBB Board of Directors and the Turkish business world, I heartily congratulate Maoyr Ahmet Altıparmak, Antalya Chamber of Commerce and Industry President Çetin Osman Budak, Antalya Commodity Exchange President Ali Çandır, Antalya Municipality President Mustafa Akaydın, our Antalya Assembly representatives, Antalya Ornamental Plant Exporters Union President Osman Bağdatlıoğlu and everyone who has had a part in this proud success.”
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