“The revolutionary proposal for the tourism sector of Turkey, which some tourists may not like, was announced by the CEO of Bentour Deniz Ugur. He called for a radical change in the concept of “all-inclusive” in the country’s hotels, excluding alcohol from it. This is necessary to balance the prices of organized tours and maintain the interest of families in vacationing in Turkey, the Turkish publication Turizm Guncel said.
Hotel prices in Turkey rose significantly in 2023, striking everyone with a drastic change comparable to many Mediterranean destinations. This growth is partly due to confidence in the success achieved in 2022 and inflation in the country exceeding 50%.
The foreign tourist market did not like the current pricing, which was carried out by the Turks.
Ugur emphasized the need to preserve Turkey’s competitiveness in the eyes of world tourists. He expressed concern about price increases in 2023 and stated: “To provide an affordable vacation in Turkey for families with children, it is necessary to lower prices,” because instead of the recommended 0-5%, hoteliers raised prices much higher. But how to keep prices in crisis conditions?
All-inclusive and alcohol separately
As part of his proposal, the expert suggested creating basic “all-inclusive” service packages with a limited amount of alcohol and without it at all. According to him, such a proposal may well be implemented in order, firstly, to attract more family tourists, and secondly, not to sharply increase prices due to alcohol becoming more expensive and taxes on it. Alcohol should be “packaged” as an additional package option, he is sure. “A large number of hotels in Turkey are already selling expensive imported drinks for “hard” money,” the expert emphasized the trend.
Ugur compared his proposal to the model used by cruise liners, which he believes is more economical and flexible for guests. This step will help Turkey maintain its attractiveness and remain a leader in the world tourism sphere, the head of Bentour is confident. His proposal has already aroused the interest of tourism representatives in the country and calls into question the future of the all-inclusive system in Turkey.