ALKANS TUR SEYAHAT ACENTASI
Luxury at Empire’s Edge
Who are we? We at Alkans Tour Agency have been conducting group and bespoke tours
across central and eastern Turkey for some considerable time and it is fair to say that we have
grown as the region has grown. From our beginnings when our client base was made up of
independent travellers with lots of imagination but small budgets, we have become the
principle regionally based supplier of luxury, expert led tours both in our own right and as a
resource for some major international brands, sending groups and individuals who want to
experience the rich cultural and historical diversity of eastern Turkey. We are a Boutique
Style company offering a service that is tailored to our clients' highest expectations and
perfectly matched with the unique attractions of our region.
Because we live and are based in the region we are the first to know about the many new and
exciting developments that are being created, almost on a weekly basis, that enhance the
already considerable attraction of the region for the visitor with a thirst for knowledge and an
appreciation of the finer things of life. Whether we are talking about new archaeological
developments, cultural events, brand new luxury hotels or traditional and exquisite boutique
establishments, we will have been there first.
Probably the hardest thing about organising a tour itinerary across eastern Turkey is deciding
what to leave out and what to keep in. There is simply so much to choose from! Many of
Turkey's iconic sights and sites lie in the eastern Anatolian region: the cliff hanging Sumela
Monastery to the stunning Biblical mountain of Ararat; Ishak Pasha's Pleasure Palace and the
crystal blue Lake of Van with its ancient Urartian castles; the venerable Christian sites of
southern Turkey where the language of Christ is still spoken and ancient Cappadocia with its
other-worldly landscapes and a wealth of UNESCO sites right across the country.
What is a Luxury Product? There are a number of approaches to the idea of a luxury
tour and even to what the word “luxury” might mean. Luxury tours cannot be “bought” on
the internet and do not exist as packages. Certainly it isn’t just about silver taps, marble baths
and wall to wall antique rugs although these obvious physical accoutrements of “luxury”
clearly have their place and are important. As the market has developed clients’ expectations
have evolved. It’s less about the visible measure of luxury and more about service, the
individuality of the experience and the seamless behind-the-scenes quality of excellent
organisation. It is also important to understand that the “travel experience” does not begin
when a person closes her front door or gets off the plane at his chosen destination. A travel
experience begins as a person imagines what it is that she wants to see, feel and experience
and only begins to take form after contact with the agent who will turn those aspirations into
reality. It is our job to anticipate what a client may not always be able to express and to
manage the merging of imagination and aspiration with the possible. It is our good fortune to
operate in a region where the possible is truly amazing. We see ourselves not simply agents
but as confidants with an insider’s knowledge engaged in collaboration to create something
individual and special.
It takes an intimate knowledge of the region and its people to fashion tours that strike just the
right chord for a clientele that is both discriminating and knowledgeable and it takes skill and
sensitivity to match the considerable variety of experiences and resources on offer with the
unique desires and perceptions that each individual traveller brings with them. We have the
knowledge, skill and sensitivity to develop and guide our guests so that they will leave us
having experienced more than they had thought possible. In an increasingly noisy tourist
market place eastern Turkey is a destination for the connoisseur. We know where best is best
and not necessarily the newest, shiniest or most costly; we like to think in terms of
"premium" and we think you do too. We make the unexpected commonplace.
Göbekli Tepe 10,000 BC, Şanlıurfa in
South East Turkey: where the unexpected
is commonplace.
Sustainability and Responsibility.
It’s
difficult
to
know
what
“responsibility” and “sustainability” mean
as these are concepts that mean different
things to different people. It’s probably
fair to say that people don’t start their
search for a holiday using responsibility
or sustainability as search criteria. They
would investigate this as the tour planning
develops and in many instances would
assume that it is a part of the broader
thinking of most tour providers. It is also
true to say that mass market providers
need to make a special commitment to
explaining their environmental policy and
assessing their impact on local
communities; very often this is probably
more token in nature. The positive impact
that large numbers of visitors can have on
smaller, traditional communities is
doubtful. However, caring for our region
and its people is at the centre of our
business and the foundation of our
values. A traveller can make a difference
by booking a tour directly with a local
operator and by being a part of the planning
process. Vitally, we not only know the region better
than anyone else but we care about the people and environment since we live there. For us,
sustainability and responsibility are as much about both enriching local people and our
visitors as it is about the environment. The people and the environment are indivisible. In
fact, responsibly executed tour programmes that bring in visitors who care about these issues
are an important driver in developing responsible and sustainable environmental and social
improvements and ideas amongst local communities. This is a two way street.
Negative Influences. An important factor influencing the luxury market and, in fact,
tourism to Turkey generally, has been the unrest in the Middle East. While one can make the
generalisation that “perception is reality” it is important to emphasise that the instability has
been in countries neighbouring Turkey and not in Turkey itself. We are another country.
What few disturbances there have been in Turkey during 2014 have been reflected by similar
disturbances in Europe and North America; they have been transient, generated by local
issues and have not affected tour operations or our clients’ enjoyment and safety at all. They
were not a part of the turmoil emanating from regional conflicts both civil and international.
Turkey has been extremely generous to the flood of refugees coming over the border from
Syria. Currently there may be as many as two million Syrians taking refuge in Turkey if one
takes into account those recent inflows following the evil policies of the IS organisation in
Syria and northern Iraq. In view of the horrendous events that are dominating news and social
media covering the war in Syria and northern Iraq it might be considered slightly perverse to
make the none the less factual observation that if one were to travel along the tour routes in
south east Turkey without looking at a newspaper or television, one would be completely
unaware that anything was happening in neighbouring countries. Life is completely normal
and the standard and quality of hospitality experienced by visitors remains as undiminished
and unreserved as it always was. I fact, in eastern and south eastern Turkey, regions
unaffected by the mass tourism of western Turkish coastal resorts, destinations are
uncluttered by the detritus of mass tourism, the welcome is warmer and the visitor is
appreciated as a valued friend in a way that few travellers around the world get to experience.
We look forward to welcoming you to our world.
Nicholas Kropacek, Marketing Director, Alkans Eastern Turkey Tours
www.easternturkeytour.org
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