A grand scandal with the non-settlement of tourists is unfolding in Turkey. Interestingly, its main characters were domestic tourists, that is? the Turks themselves, who bought tours … through their acquaintances and relatives in Germany, because it turned out to be cheaper. However, hotels do not want to run local tourists at German prices. As a result, everything went awry at the beginning of this season, and the confrontation between hoteliers and tourists is “gaining strength.”
The problem, according to Turkish travel media, is that Turks living in Germany have started booking hotels for their Turkish relatives living in Turkey, as it is much cheaper. The fact is that hotels traditionally give different prices to different markets, but prices for the domestic market are almost always the most expensive.
However, tourists who arrived at the hotel could not prove that they live in Germany. As a result, a scandal broke out between hotels and tourists – Turkish tourists consider this situation extremely unfair. Domestic prices are much higher than foreign prices, and all domestic tourists are wondering why they have to pay so much.
Hotels give the following literal answer: “The factor that provokes the price difference is that prices abroad were set in the period corresponding to last summer’s season when normal inflation expectations prevailed. Prices for domestic tourists were set in the last days of last year when the inflation fever broke out, or earlier this year, “they said.
According to media reports, hotels and travel agencies operating in Germany have begun working more closely with tour operators to address the problem, which is expected not to benefit local tourists. As a result, all bookings of Turks from Germany are canceled for those who cannot confirm their place of residence in Germany.
Tourists are outraged, but reassure themselves that the “equation is inevitable.” “Although different pricing strategies of hotels in different markets will continue to present similar problems in the future, so the difference in prices between markets must be brought at least to a balanced level,” – say experts. They note that the problem is more widespread in the Turkish market, so it has become obvious, and so different prices for different countries have often led to incidents.
Including the Russian market, they say. Next, they recall the case when a tourist from Denmark bought prices at the “Russian” price. “Thanks to the general digitalization, consumers have such ample opportunities to obtain the optimal price that at this time a balance will inevitably be achieved in the strategy of selling prices, which varies depending on the markets,” – say Turkish experts.
Their Russian counterparts, in turn, recall the realities of the 1990s. Then in Russia, Turkish tour operators gave very different prices, even for Moscow and the regions. And for some regions, they were much higher than for the capital.