The Society for Incentive Travel Excellence (SITE), the leading association of incentive tourism, organised its 2024 Global Conference in İstanbul on 26-29 February 2024. SITE Türkiye Chapter is one of the first countries to host the SITE Global Conference (known as SITE University) in 1996 in Istanbul. The conference, held for the first time this year in Türkiye as the global event, gathered travel industry leaders worldwide to network, exchange ideas, and find innovative ways to shape the industry’s future.
Incentive travellers arrive with a purpose; this translates to higher spending on unique experiences, cultural immersion, and premium services than traditional leisure travellers. They also tend to stay longer than leisure travellers, boosting spending on accommodation, dining, and entertainment and generating more revenue throughout the tourism ecosystem, benefiting local businesses and creating employment opportunities supporting the tourism infrastructure.
Türkiye’s Ministry of Culture and Tourism and the Türkiye Tourism Promotion and Development Agency (TGA) supported the event to showcase the destination with its leading incentive venues and once-in-a-lifetime experiences, aiming to bring more incentive groups to Türkiye in the future.
The Global Conference is SITE’s hallmark event, where the incentive travel industry convenes. With SITE’s more than 2,600 members in 87 countries, the Global Conference hosts participants from all over the world, including the United States of America (USA), Great Britain (GB), Canada, Ireland, France, Switzerland, Spain, Mexico, Germany, Denmark, Sweden, Greece, Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Denmark, Brazil, Cayman Islands, China, Croatia, Poland, Costa Rica, Czech Republic, Egypt, Jordan, India, Italy, Netherlands, Panama, Portugal, Puerto Rico, Rwanda, Scotland, Monaco, Morocco, Oman, Singapore, Slovenia, Vietnam Thailand, Türkiye, United Arab Emirates (UAE), South Africa, Zimbabwe, Ethiopia, Uganda and Tanzania. SITE Global Conference attendees enjoy privileges such as networking, making meaningful connections, and the chance to learn about new opportunities first-hand.
The 2024 edition of the conference was held with the participation of around 500 industry professionals, covering many topics ranging from the future of travel to the latest trends in technology with a particular focus on Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Destination Marketing. The three-day event included conference and networking sections, offering participants invaluable opportunities to connect with incentive tourism experts, learn about the newest incentive trends through various trainings, and exchange ideas with colleagues in the industry.
While exploring how incentive travel fosters workplace relations, builds corporate culture and ensures peak performance, attendees discussed how travel experiences, when well designed and executed, can genuinely transform individuals and organisations, acting as a bridge between cultures and building tolerance, acceptance, and mutual understanding. Hosted by SITE Türkiye, the conference was supported by many local institutions and industry professionals to introduce Türkiye to participants worldwide. Within the conference program’s scope, the participants also had the chance to discover İstanbul, the country’s world-leading travel destination with its extraordinary arts and culture, gastronomy, and shopping experiences. Additionally, pre-and post-tours allowed the participants to visit other Incentive destinations throughout Türkiye.
SITE Pioneers Incentive Travel
SITE, founded in 1973, is the only global business events association dedicated exclusively to incentive travel. With its half a century of history, SITE has been sharing the quantifiable results of its sectoral experience with the global business world, working in corporations, agencies, airlines, cruise companies, and across the entire destination supply chain. The Organisation has 28 local and regional branches worldwide, and Türkiye is among the regions expanding awareness of the Association’s sectoral motivational power in Europe.
SITE aims to maximise the impact of incentive tourism and contribute to the sector’s development by bringing together and developing its segment’s best solutions and global connections with members and professionals. The Organisation adds value to its members at international and local branch levels through networking efforts, online resources, training, and certification. //nCa, 16 March 2024 (in cooperation with the Embassy of Türkiye to Turkmenistan)