The Spring meetings of the Presidium and Executive Board are always held at the venue for the following autumn’s Annual Conference; this enables us to discuss details of the arrangements with the local organising team, and to look over the premises where we will be lodged and fed, and the locations for the various events such as the opening and closing ceremonies and the student competitions.
Our warm welcome at Antalya airport, where we were met by two smiling students, set the tone for our stay in Southern Turkey for these meetings of the Presidium and the Executive Board on March 4th and 5th. The local organising team warmly greeted us in the hotel lobby as we arrived, and we were quickly taken to our luxurious rooms.
The drive from Antalya to Kemer was breathtaking, as for much of the way the road is on a ledge in the cliffs which come down to the sea. The hotel itself is highly impressive, with its vast entrance lobby, glass lifts, balconies overlooking the pools and the sea, and luxurious public areas. The dining room of the Kemer Resort Hotel is quite dazzling, with its light and airy seating areas arranged next to the vast buffet, where an immense array of dishes were attractively laid out
It rained a little on the day of our arrival, but later in our stay was sunny enough for some of the hardier members to sit by the pool in their swimming gear.
The members of the presidium, according to tradition, shut themselves away for the whole day on Friday for their meeting to tackle some tricky questions of AEHT policy, not least the question of budgets and financial savings. Again following tradition, the Presidium emerged with answers to all the questions, ready to present the results of their discussions to the Executive Board on the following day. However, the Presidium did emerge from its deliberations for a guided tour of the hotel, in order to inspect the installations where the competitions and other parts of the Annual Conference would be taking place. Particularly impressive was the large hall – usually used for weddings – where the opening and closing ceremonies would be taking place. It was decided that the kitchens did not have sufficient capacity for the culinary arts and pastry contests, and would need to be supplemented by kitchens in neighbouring hotels.
The AEHT delegation with the Turkish organisers in front of the College of Antalya, Özel Antalya Anadolu Otelcilik ve Turizm Meslek Lisesi
Alfonso skilfully chaired Saturday’s Executive Board to leave time on Saturday afternoon for the trip which our hosts had arranged to Antalya – 50 kms away to the east of Kemer – to see the school and to visit the town. We were impressed with the clean and orderly school premises, and with the arrangements for students’ parents to participate in school life.
The restored Roman harbour
The town of Antalya is quite stunning: the Roman harbour has been restored and is now a bustling marina; just above the harbour is the old town with its winding, steep streets, while up on the cliff-top is the newer part of the town with some interesting buildings, but above all its carpet shops and Turkish Delight stores. Our visit was alas too short, and we look forward to continuing our explorations in October.
The new city, meeting-point of the Autochthons
Visit of a carpet shop
A display of delicious spices
The famous “Lokums” of Antalya and Istanbul
Then back to Kemer for our final dinner – a gastronomic Turkish evening lavishly hosted by the local team; some delegates even had the energy to dance the night away in the hotel’s night club before taking the bus to the airport on Sunday morning.
The Turkish organising team gathered round the AEHT General Secretary (from left to right : Erkan CELIK, Tansu CELIK, Levent TOLAY, Ali Alp ARSLAN, Aydin GÜLGÜNER, Resat INAN, Kemal TOPALOGLU, Nadine SCHINTGEN, Yener KONUKALDI)
Many thanks to our Turkish hosts for their warm welcome, for their willingness to listen to our requests and suggestions, and for their impeccable hospitality. This was a very promising foretaste of what awaits us all in October at the 18th AEHT Annual Conference.
Our warm welcome at Antalya airport, where we were met by two smiling students, set the tone for our stay in Southern Turkey for these meetings of the Presidium and the Executive Board on March 4th and 5th. The local organising team warmly greeted us in the hotel lobby as we arrived, and we were quickly taken to our luxurious rooms.
The drive from Antalya to Kemer was breathtaking, as for much of the way the road is on a ledge in the cliffs which come down to the sea. The hotel itself is highly impressive, with its vast entrance lobby, glass lifts, balconies overlooking the pools and the sea, and luxurious public areas. The dining room of the Kemer Resort Hotel is quite dazzling, with its light and airy seating areas arranged next to the vast buffet, where an immense array of dishes were attractively laid out
It rained a little on the day of our arrival, but later in our stay was sunny enough for some of the hardier members to sit by the pool in their swimming gear.
The members of the presidium, according to tradition, shut themselves away for the whole day on Friday for their meeting to tackle some tricky questions of AEHT policy, not least the question of budgets and financial savings. Again following tradition, the Presidium emerged with answers to all the questions, ready to present the results of their discussions to the Executive Board on the following day. However, the Presidium did emerge from its deliberations for a guided tour of the hotel, in order to inspect the installations where the competitions and other parts of the Annual Conference would be taking place. Particularly impressive was the large hall – usually used for weddings – where the opening and closing ceremonies would be taking place. It was decided that the kitchens did not have sufficient capacity for the culinary arts and pastry contests, and would need to be supplemented by kitchens in neighbouring hotels.
The AEHT delegation with the Turkish organisers in front of the College of Antalya, Özel Antalya Anadolu Otelcilik ve Turizm Meslek Lisesi
Alfonso skilfully chaired Saturday’s Executive Board to leave time on Saturday afternoon for the trip which our hosts had arranged to Antalya – 50 kms away to the east of Kemer – to see the school and to visit the town. We were impressed with the clean and orderly school premises, and with the arrangements for students’ parents to participate in school life.
The restored Roman harbour
The town of Antalya is quite stunning: the Roman harbour has been restored and is now a bustling marina; just above the harbour is the old town with its winding, steep streets, while up on the cliff-top is the newer part of the town with some interesting buildings, but above all its carpet shops and Turkish Delight stores. Our visit was alas too short, and we look forward to continuing our explorations in October.
The new city, meeting-point of the Autochthons
Visit of a carpet shop
A display of delicious spices
The famous “Lokums” of Antalya and Istanbul
Then back to Kemer for our final dinner – a gastronomic Turkish evening lavishly hosted by the local team; some delegates even had the energy to dance the night away in the hotel’s night club before taking the bus to the airport on Sunday morning.
The Turkish organising team gathered round the AEHT General Secretary (from left to right : Erkan CELIK, Tansu CELIK, Levent TOLAY, Ali Alp ARSLAN, Aydin GÜLGÜNER, Resat INAN, Kemal TOPALOGLU, Nadine SCHINTGEN, Yener KONUKALDI)
Many thanks to our Turkish hosts for their warm welcome, for their willingness to listen to our requests and suggestions, and for their impeccable hospitality. This was a very promising foretaste of what awaits us all in October at the 18th AEHT Annual Conference.
