“We are in for a tough summer,” – such an assessment was voiced by representatives of the Turkish tourism sector, assessing the tourism statistics presented by the Governor of Antalya. According to it, in May, about 1.2 million tourists arrived in the Turkish resort province – we are talking only about air tourists. First of all, Turkish hotels say that they lack Russian, as well as Ukrainian tourists. As a result, Antalya hotels “remain unsatisfied.”
According to the statistics provided by the authorities of the province of the country, 1 million 198 thousand tourists arrived in Antalya in May. In general, in the first 5 months, 2 million 282 thousand tourists arrived at the resort. At the same time, in terms of the number of tourists, Russia fell to second place, and Germany rose to first.
“Although flights from Russia are increasing, this is not enough. THY has increased its flights to Moscow, our other companies also operate flights, but this is not enough,” commented Davut Çetin, President of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ATSO). According to him, the problem situation is tangible in all companies that work on the Russian market.
He was supported by the advisor to the mayor of the Antalya Metropolitan Municipality, Osman Ayik: “The data on tourists arriving in Antalya for a 5-month period this year does not satisfy the entire sector. Prices are also not in the desired situation. Hopes and expectations at the beginning of 2022 were good. However, since the start of the Russian special operation in February, we have suffered heavy losses in two major major markets. Over a 5-month period of the year, more than 1 million people arrived from these two countries, while in a normal situation, more than 7 million tourists would come from this market. We cannot cover losses in the Russian and Ukrainian markets with alternative markets,” the expert said.
He also added that in some resorts this problem is less relevant, as there is an alternative – in particular, this applies to such resorts as Belek, Kundu and Lara, Manavgat Side in Antalya. For others, the absence of the Russian and Ukrainian markets is very noticeable – these are, for example, Alanya and Kemer.
“The Russian market is irreplaceable for Turkey. Not everything is going smoothly in European markets either: inflation in Europe varies between 8-12% depending on the country, which reduces the purchasing power of local tourists,” said Hamit Kuk, member of the TÜRSAB board. There are problems in Turkey itself – the costs are too high, the prices do not compensate for them, the situation is unpredictable. “We don't know what will happen to fuel prices. Due to the Russian special operation, inflation in Europe and the volatility of exchange rates, the tourist is no longer able to determine the strategy. We will have a difficult summer,” the expert summed up.
For those who care about a healthy lifestyle, we recommend reading: “Scientists have found that coffee protects the kidneys from damage.”