It turned out that even at the peak of the tourist season, not all hotels in Antalya are 100% full, and many are not even half full. As reported by the Turkish media, reports from 5* hotels about full occupancy and stop lists were met with criticism by representatives of boutique hotels – this is what small hotels are now called in Turkey, which occupies the second line, being across the street from the sea. In total, their number is 90% of 650,000 places in Antalya – and they cannot boast of 100% loading. In most of them, more than half of the rooms are empty.
Most of the 5* hotels have loaded their capacity almost completely. Including local tourists who arrived in Antalya for the long weekend in honor of Kurban Bayram. But the budget hotels, which counted on Turkish tourists, claim that they have not felt the increase in demand. “We offer accommodation services, including breakfast and dinner for 250 lire per person, but we are not even half loaded,” such hoteliers assure.
Commenting on the situation, Alp Ozel, president of the Antalya Tourist Hoteliers and Pensioners Association and member of the Assembly of the Antalya Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said: “A typical average tourist associates Antalya with 5-star hotels and large facilities. Occupancy is indeed increasing there, but this trend does not apply to small hotels, starting from the second line,” he said. There, the download is not high, although the price is much lower.
“For 500 lira, tourists can spend a vacation, including breakfast and dinner, in the hotels right on the coastline. We welcome our guests who want a frugal vacation in our family-run, small, boutique hotels. Antalya is not just a place with huge hotels. In this resort town, there is an opportunity to relax, which is suitable for everyone and every wallet,” he assured. Mr. Ozel also added that such hotels offer tourists cultural tours of the city and “taste the aromas characteristic of the city.”