THE PROMOTİONAL STRATEGY FOR 19 FREE ZONES WAS DETERMİNED İN İZMİR

• THE PROMOTİONAL STRATEGY FOR 19 FREE ZONES WAS DETERMİNED İN İZMİR
• İZBAŞ GENERAL MANAGER H. GÜRSEL BAHÇIVANCILAR:“WE BELİEVE THAT, WİTH THE RİGHT PROMOTİON AND STRATEGİC COMMUNİCATİONS, OUR FREE ZONES WİLL ACHİEVE TRADE VOLUMES FAR BEYOND THOSE REACHED TODAY AND REVEAL THEİR TRUE POTENTİAL.”
• HEAD OF DEPARTMENT AT THE GENERAL DİRECTORATE OF FREE ZONES MEHTAP ARIK:“WE SEE THAT, WİTH A MORE COMPREHENSİVE PROMOTİONAL EFFORT, WE CAN REACH HİGHER TARGETS İN EXPORTS AND İN THE ADDED VALUE CREATED.”

The “Free Zones Promotion Workshop,” organized to create a common promotional strategy for the 19 free zones operating in Türkiye and to determine common messages for potential investors, was held at the MW Phokai Resort hotel in Foça, hosted by İZBAŞ İzmir Free Zone Founder and Operator Inc.

At the workshop, attended by representatives of the Ministry of Trade General Directorate of Free Zones, the Presidency of the Republic of Türkiye Investment and Finance Office, and representatives of founder and operator companies that are members of the Free Zone Founders and Operators Association (SEBKİDER), working groups were formed under two separate themes for joint promotion.

At the workshop moderated by Ege University Faculty Member Prof. Dr. Aykan Candemir, the topics on which the groups brainstormed throughout the day were turned into presentations by the group spokespersons at the end of the workshop and documented.

“OUR TRUE POTENTIAL WILL BE REVEALED”

Speaking at the opening of the meeting, İZBAŞ General Manager H. Gürsel Bahçıvancılar stated that they attach great importance to strengthening cooperation between the founder and operator companies of the free zones and public authorities, saying, “We believe that, with the right promotion and strategic communications, our free zones will achieve trade volumes far beyond those reached today and reveal their true potential.”

Stating that they had held an extremely productive workshop with free zone representatives from different cities of Türkiye to enhance their capacity for international engagement, Bahçıvancılar made the following assessment:

“The fact that, in the first 7 months of this year, our exports from our 19 free zones rose by 7% to 7.7 billion dollars, that we broke the all-time export record in July, that the export-to-import coverage ratio reached 160.9%, and that we have a net-exporting production ecosystem makes a very important contribution to our country’s global competitiveness. We hope that this contribution will continue to increase and that our country will achieve its export-led growth vision.” 

THE EXPORT RATIO EXCEEDED 75%

Mehtap Arık, Head of the Evaluation, Implementation and Promotion Department of the Ministry of Trade General Directorate of Free Zones, emphasized that the employment of 90 thousand people reached in Turkish free zones and the export volume exceeding 75% represent a remarkable achievement.

Arık, stating that 57.4% of total exports consist of products in the medium-high and high-technology categories, said, “We see that, with a more comprehensive promotional effort for our free zones, we can reach higher targets for our country in exports and in the added value created. On this issue, we will develop closer cooperation, especially with SEBKİDER, the umbrella organization of our free zones.”

FOCUS ON NEW-GENERATION INVESTMENTS

Zahid Tuncel, Unit Manager at the Presidency of the Republic of Türkiye Investment and Finance Office, also recalled that the Türkiye International Direct Investment Strategy covering the years 2024-2028 sets out a roadmap for attracting more qualified investment under the theme “Investments: Türkiye, a Strong Center.” He pointed out that, in the new period, free zones should determine a promotional strategy that can also encompass new-generation investments incorporating innovative technologies and mobility, alongside production and exports.

“WE MUST GO TO THE INVESTOR”

Yusuf Kılınç, Chairman of the Board of the Free Zone Founders and Operators Association (SEBKİDER), also pointed to the importance of promotion and marketing, saying, “We can no longer wait for investors to find us; we must go to the investor. We must explain much more clearly to the world which sectors our free zones are strong in, which markets they provide access to, what infrastructure they offer, and how they enable investors to move faster.”