Dr. Elif Balcı Fisunoğlu

Vice General Manager, Türkiye Tourism Promotion and Development Agency

Elif Balcı Fisunoğlu (Ph.D) is currently, the Vice-General Manager of Tourism Operations and Development division in Türkiye Tourism Promotion and Development Agency which was founded by the Ministry of Tourism and by law and represents Türkiye and TGA at UNWTO Board of Affiliate Members, WTTC- World Travel & Tourism Council Executive Committee and GSTC- Global Sustainable Tourism Council Board of Directors.

Elif has held senior and managerial positions in diverse organisations across all aspects of the Turkish and European tourism spheres, including fourteen years at İstanbul Convention & Visitors Bureau (ICVB). First in senior sales and marketing positions before serving for four years as General Manager, Elif spearheaded the roll-out of ICVB’s innovative public-private partnership model, which resulted in Istanbul breaking into the top 10 congress destinations in 2010.

Elif also served for two years as Regional Director – Europe at the International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA) in Amsterdam, Netherlands, where she represented the region’s diverse membership of 580 organisations from 48 countries, from hotels to airlines to DMCs and beyond.

In addition to her former positions, she has held several volunteer and board positions at international industry associations such as European Cities Marketing, ICCA, Global Destination Sustainability Advisory Board, SKAL International Istanbul Club and was the MPI- Meeting Professional International Türkiye Chapter President from 2016 to 2018.