Veteran Tourism Professional Mehmet Önkal Has Passed Away...

We have learned with sorrow of the passing of Mehmet Önkal, a veteran tourism professional well known to the tourism sector, our loyal friend, and a founding partner of BDO Investment Consultancy. 

In our sector, which he entered in 1975, he held, in succession, the positions of Director of Financial Affairs at the Istanbul Sheraton Hotel, and Vice President of ITT Sheraton International Inc. for Asia Pacific in Türkiye, the Eastern Mediterranean, and Hong Kong respectively, Manager of Ten Tur Tourism Hotels, Vice President of the Tourism Division of the Doğuş Group, General Manager of Yonca Turizm A.Ş., and General Manager of Prenses Hotels; subsequently, beginning in April 1997, he served as Managing Partner and Chairman of the Board of BDO Turizm Danışmanlığı A.Ş., a firm operating in fields such as investment consultancy, asset management, market research, valuations, finding operating companies/brands, and concluding agreements on operation/franchise/lease/technical services, legal dispute support/expert witness/arbitration duties, and hotel management.

He participated as a panelist or speaker in many events organized by TÜROB.

With his visionary outlook and personality, his work—to which he devoted his life, particularly toward increasing international cooperation in our sector, bringing international hotel chains together with domestic investors, and enhancing operational efficiency and profitability in hotel investments—will always be remembered and commemorated with gratitude.

His funeral will be held on Tuesday, February 4, 2025, following the noon prayer, from the Teşrifatçı Hacı Mahmut Mosque (Beşiktaş).

We pray for God's mercy upon the late Mehmet Önkal, and we extend our condolences and wishes of patience to his grieving family above all, and to all his friends, relatives, loved ones, and our tourism community.

Respectfully,

TÜROB – the Association of Turkish Hoteliers

Müberra Eresin

President