Turkish manufacturers have seen a 50% increase in demand for Christmas and New Year's gifts from abroad, poising the sector to exceed $400 million in exports, according to industry representatives.
Promotional Products Manufacturers and Sellers Association (PROMOTÜRK) Chairperson Mehmet Yücetürk said that Türkiye has achieved rapid growth in the promotional sector in recent years.
Yücetürk told Anadolu Agency (AA) that the promotional sector is not narrow like other sectors as it directly relates to dozens of other industries, from textile to furniture, porcelain to glass, and leather to stationery.
He noted that Türkiye exports promotional products to more than 100 countries, primarily Europe and the Middle East, emphasizing that they expect promotional and souvenir exports to reach $3 billion this year.
Yücetürk stated that the demand for promotional items has increased more than the industry average during the Christmas and New Year's Eve period in recent years. Santa Claus-themed T-shirts, scarves, berets, notebooks, mugs and snow globes are generally requested for the Christmas period, he explained, adding that the export amount for this period alone is around $40 million.
"For New Year's Eve, there is a wide range of gift requests in the area of agendas, notebooks, ceramics and textiles. Recently, portable power sources (power banks) and USB and Bluetooth portable speakers, which we call sound bombs, are in demand among New Year's gifts. Christmas is the same all over the world. But the Christmas demand can change," he said.
Emphasizing that investment and production in the plush toy industry have increased recently, Yücetürk stated that it also started to make visible exports in this period.
Expressing that most of the gift demand comes from the Middle East and Balkan countries, as well as Germany, England and France, Yücetürk said, "We send Christmas and New Year's gifts to more than 100 countries. We expect our exports in this area to increase by 50% compared to last year and exceed $400 million."
"We have been working in three shifts on a 24/7 basis to meet the demands for two months. There is a serious demand. Seventy percent of Christmas and New Year's gifts are exported in the last three months," he said.
Yücetürk went on to say that Türkiye’s fast and high-quality production capabilities and its proximity to Europe and the Middle East increased exports in this area.
"The order placed on Monday will be on the shelves in Europe on Thursday at the latest. The order reaches their hands in three to four days. It is difficult to predict how much stock will be kept on hand, especially for Christmas gifts. Therefore, when the stock runs out, orders can be made from Türkiye immediately," he said.