Russian Agencies Explore Afyonkarahisar On-Site: Can Fam Trip Turn Into Tourist Flow?

Afyonkarahisar is implementing a promotional model that brings travel agencies directly to the destination to become more visible in the Russian and Commonwealth of Independent States markets.

As part of the program organized in collaboration with Russian Express and Oruçoğlu Thermal Hotel, 30 selected travel agency representatives from Russia have started a week-long inspection trip in Afyonkarahisar. The program plans to promote not only thermal facilities but also historical and cultural sites such as Phrygian Valley, Afyonkarahisar city center, and Ulu Mosque.

The main goal of the organization is to strengthen the sales channel that can create real tourist flow from Russia and the broader CIS geography to Afyonkarahisar. However, there is no automatic relationship between fam trips and sales. Seeing the product is the first step; the destination being packageable, accessible, and competitively priced is the decisive stage.

Why are travel agencies hosted on-site?

Explaining a destination through a brochure or online presentation does not yield the same result as the selling agency experiencing the product firsthand.

Promotional trips known as fam trips are particularly important for new or lesser-known destinations in source markets. The agency representative can directly see the hotel’s room standard, thermal area, city transportation, dining options, and surrounding tourist attractions.

This experience can enable more concrete information to be used during sales.

For example, it becomes possible to answer the customer’s question, "What else can I do in Afyonkarahisar besides the thermal hotel?" by adding not only spa services but also Phrygian Valley, historical centers, or gastronomic experiences.

Therefore, it is important that the Afyonkarahisar program is not limited to thermal facilities.

Thermal products alone may not be sufficient

Afyonkarahisar is one of Turkey’s prominent thermal tourism centers. Numerous thermal hotels and spa facilities are listed on the official tourism pages of the governorate in thermal regions such as Ömer-Gecek and Sandıklı.

However, thermal facilities alone may not create sufficient travel motivation for international tourists.

Especially for customers coming from long distances, combining the thermal experience with other products such as culture, gastronomy, and nature may provide an advantage for preferring a multi-night stay.

The inclusion of Phrygian Valley and the city center in the program is meaningful for this reason.

Transforming a thermal holiday from merely selling the pool and spa within the hotel to a destination experience has the potential to increase the average length of stay and spending within the city.

Gastronomy is Afyonkarahisar's second strong product

In addition to thermal, Afyonkarahisar has another strong identity it can use on an international scale: gastronomy.

The city was included in the UNESCO Creative Cities Network in the field of gastronomy in 2019. The Provincial Directorate of Culture and Tourism highlights Afyon cream, sausage, pastirma, kaymaklı ekmek kadayıfı, and other geographically marked products as fundamental elements of the city’s gastronomic identity.

Utilizing gastronomy in packages aimed at the Russian and CIS markets can enhance the value of the thermal product.

Tourists can be attracted to the city not only for "healing water" but also for a few days of wellness, gastronomy, and cultural programs.

This approach also creates a broader economic impact for restaurants, local producers, guides, and businesses in the city center.

The main question: how will tourists come to Afyonkarahisar?

One of the most important issues in sales after the fam trip is transportation.

The tour operator must calculate the air connections, transfer times, and operational costs before placing a destination in the catalog or online sales channel.

Since Afyonkarahisar has limited direct air connections from major international source markets, different transfer options through Istanbul, Antalya, Ankara, Izmir, or Zafer Airport may need to be evaluated in package design.

The customer profile in thermal tourism is also important at this point. Visitors traveling for wellness or of older age may be more sensitive to long land transfers.

Therefore, creating a competitive and easily sellable transportation model upon return will be as decisive as the positive impressions of Russian agencies.

It is necessary to shift from single hotel sales to destination sales

Although the organization started in collaboration with Oruçoğlu Thermal Hotel and Russian Express, it is stated that cooperation with other thermal facilities in Afyonkarahisar is also desired in the announcements. The program is being conducted in conjunction with Sandıklı Thermal Park Hotel.

This approach is healthier for the destination.

Promoting a single hotel may increase that business's sales in the short term. However, for the "Afyonkarahisar" brand to be formed in the source market, different hotels, restaurants, tourist attractions, and local service providers must be included in the same product chain.

Being able to offer alternatives in different price ranges and segments increases the likelihood of sales.

The emergence of different products such as five-star thermal resorts, more economical accommodations, wellness packages, or culture-oriented tours can expand the market.

Why is the CIS market evaluated together?

In the statements from the organization side, not only Russia but also Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, and other Turkic Republics are listed among the target markets. It is noted that efforts in these markets have been ongoing for about a year.

This approach can create scale in sales and marketing.

When sufficient demand does not arise from a single country, addressing different source markets that may show interest in similar products within the same operational network can help utilize flight and transfer capacity more efficiently.

However, the "CIS market" is not a homogeneous customer group.

Income levels, travel habits, visa conditions, language, flight connections, and holiday durations vary from country to country. Therefore, instead of presenting the same thermal package with the same message to all markets, product and pricing should be done on a country basis.

How should fam trip success be measured?

The fact that 30 agencies have visited the destination during a promotional trip is not a commercial success indicator by itself.

The real metrics to be followed emerge after the trip:

How many agencies opened Afyonkarahisar products for sale? How many added it to their package programs? When did the first reservations come in? What was the average length of stay? How much did the customer spend outside the thermal facility?

Without this data, the promotional activity would only create visibility.

If hotel and destination managements do not provide regular product updates, price offers, visual materials, and reservation support to the agency after the fam trip, the likelihood of the initial contact converting into sales decreases.

What preparations should hotels make?

If demand grows from the Russian and CIS markets, operational alignment will also come to the forefront for thermal hotels, not just room sales.

Communication with Russian guests, clear explanations of spa procedures, tracking food and beverage preferences, and coordinating tour/transfer services may gain importance.

Care should also be taken regarding health claims in thermal products.

Although the official promotional materials of Afyonkarahisar contain statements about the various health benefits of thermal resources, hotels should avoid marketing language that guarantees individual health outcomes. The boundaries between thermal tourism and medical treatment services should be kept clear.

The strongest way to build trust in the international market is through facility quality, service standards, and accurate product information rather than exaggerated health promises.

Other businesses in the region may also have opportunities

If the flow of Russian tourists occurs, it is important that the economic impact does not remain solely with thermal hotels.

Phrygian Valley tours can generate income for guides and transportation businesses; gastronomy programs can benefit restaurants and local producers; city center visits can create revenue for retail businesses.

Therefore, the way the destination product is packaged is important.

A few days of accommodation spent in an all-inclusive hotel is not the same as a program that includes dining, museum visits, guiding, and shopping experiences in the city.

Using Afyonkarahisar's thermal and gastronomic identity together can allow tourist spending to be distributed across a broader group of businesses.

Stafflink’s view

Bringing 30 Russian travel agencies to Afyonkarahisar is a correct B2B start; however, the real news will emerge when tourists begin to arrive.

In our opinion, the success criterion for such fam trip programs should not be the number of participants but the overnight stays and revenue generated six or twelve months later.

Afyonkarahisar’s advantage is not only its strong thermal capacity. Complementary products like gastronomy, culture, and Phrygian Valley allow for the establishment of stronger packages for several nights.

On the other hand, if transportation, transfer times, and continuous sales support in the source market are not resolved, strong products may remain on the shelves.

Therefore, the next stage is not promotion but productization: transforming Afyonkarahisar, as seen by agencies, into a travel package that customers can easily purchase.