Protests and threats to close forever – this is how Turkish hotels face a twofold and sometimes even threefold increase in electricity prices and exorbitant electricity bills. In January, prices doubled, which angered hotel owners, according to Turkish media. Most hotels have found themselves at a dead end, they say. “Let’s just give you the keys and shut up forever!” Protesters and owners in Izmir told Turkish authorities.
“So far, the low season, it has become impossible to cover the incredible costs of income. We want measures to be taken against high electricity bills. Do not leave us alone with private companies that regulate electricity prices. Turkey has faced the highest prices in the history of the republic. There is nothing normal in this. I consider it an abuse, “said Mehmet Genen, chairman of the Izmir Hotel and Pension Chamber of Craftsmen.
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“Our electricity bills doubled three times in January. The bill, which amounted to 78,000 Turkish lira in December, increased to 190,000 lire, ”the hoteliers said in the media. Another speaker said that his hotel, which is now closed, received a bill of 175,000 lire. “I don’t even want to think about the next bill when the hotel opens at the beginning of the summer season,” he added.
Kayakapi Tourism Chairman Yakup Dinler also shared the electricity bills of the two facilities in December and January in his Twitter account. “The December bill of 91 thousand lire in one of the facilities increased to 205 thousand lire in January, at the second facility the December bill was 51 thousand lire, in January it increased to 132 thousand lire. And consumption is about the same! Bills 2.25 – 2.5 times more! Only those hotel owners who have concluded special agreements with energy companies are lucky. Their electricity bills grew by only 60%, not 110% as their counterparts.
Tourism professionals had to reconsider both early bookings and seasonal prices due to rising costs. As a result, prices for domestic tourists are already at risk of becoming unaffordable, and Ukrainians may have to forget about “cheap Turkey” – prices will have to rise by 40-50%.
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“We don’t know how operators who fill hotels with early bookings will cover the rising costs of food and energy. Even if 2 people stay in the hotel, we can’t turn off the lights. The price increase will definitely take place, “said Ertan Ustaoglu, president of the Association of Small Hoteliers.
“The hotel rooms consume 50 to 70 kW of energy per day. Elevators, irons, water heaters, combined boilers, heaters, TVs, refrigerators, kettles, coffee makers, juicers and kitchen appliances, active sockets so that guests can charge their laptops and appliances at any time, card switching systems, everything is electric. Our hotel rooms do not pay off. Obviously, rising electricity prices are a serious burden on the industry. Hoteliers can not afford such rates. But we, the hotel owners, are the source of the country’s currency and driving force! ”Protesters in Izmir said.
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