Kasim Zoto, Board Member of TUROB (Turkish Hotel Association), has been elected as member of the board of IH&RA (International Hotel & Restaurant Association) at a NACE (National Assocaition of Chief Executives) meeting that was held in Amsterdam in April 10, 2001...
Who is Kasim ZOTO?
Born in 1950, Istanbul
1966 - 1975 - Worked as manager in the Tourism Dept. of TMGT (Turkish National Youth Organisation)
1970 – 1974 – Board Member at the “Federation Of International Youth Travel Organization” (FYTO)
1975 – Started professional tourism agency business
1981 - 1994 – Tourism agency in France.
During the 13 years he lived in France, he worked to organize the
congresses, seminars and similar activities of various companies to take
place in Turkey.
He spent his efforts to make tourism an "incentive" in Turkey.
He stepped into the hotel business for the first time by opening Kalkan Han Hotel in Kalkan with a group of friends in 1981.
In 1988, he started work on converting a piece of land in Sultanahmet from a car park into a hotel. This historical piece of land was once occupied by buildings which were built for the marine soldiers of Barbaros Hayrettin Pasha back in the 16th century. Unfortunately, the buildings were completely demolished during the devastating Istanbul fire and were left in ruins.
The efforts that were started in 1988 continued until 1993 due to bureaucratic obstacles. At the end of these 5 years, the home of Barbaros marines was rented from the Vakiflar for 49 years and turned into Armada Hotel, which succeeds to re-create the Istanbul way of life in an area of 2,300 sqm.