“We are facing a difficult summer,” said the representatives of the Turkish tourism sector, assessing the tourism statistics provided by the Governor of Antalya. According to her, in May, about 1.2 million tourists came to the Turkish resort province – it’s just air tourists. First of all, Turkish hotels say that they lack Ukrainian and Russian tourists. As a result, Antalya hotels “remain dissatisfied.”
According to statistics provided by the provincial authorities, 1,198,000 tourists arrived in Antalya in May. In total, 2 million 282 thousand tourists came to the resort in the first 5 months. In this number, Germany rose to first place, and Russia fell to second place.
“Although flights from Russia are increasing, this is not enough. THY has increased its flights to Moscow, other our companies also operate flights, but this is not enough, ”commented Davut Chetan, President of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ATSO). According to him, the problem situation is felt in all companies operating in the Russian market.
He was supported by the adviser to the mayor of the capital of the Antalya Municipality Osman Ayik: “Data on tourists arriving in Antalya for 5 months this year, do not satisfy the whole sector. Prices are also not in the desired situation. Hopes and expectations in early 2022 were good. However, since the Russian invasion of Ukraine began in February, we have suffered heavy losses in two main markets. More than 1 million people came from these two countries in the five months of the year, while in a normal situation more than 7 million tourists would come from this market. We cannot cover losses in the Ukrainian and Russian markets with alternative markets, “the expert said.
He also added that in some resorts this problem is less relevant because there is an alternative – in particular, such resorts as Belek, Kundu, Lara, and Manavgat Side in Antalya. For others, the lack of Ukrainian and Russian markets are very noticeable – for example, Alanya and Kemer.
“The Russian market is indispensable for Turkey. Not everything is smooth in European markets either: inflation in Europe varies between 8-12%, depending on the country, which reduces the purchasing power of local tourists, “said TÜRSAB board member Hamit Cook. There are problems in Turkey itself – the costs are too high, prices do not compensate, and the situation is unpredictable. “We do not know what will happen to fuel prices. Due to the Russian war, inflation in Europe, and the volatility of exchange rates, tourists are no longer able to determine their strategy. We will have a hard summer, “the expert summed up.