Neither the local Ramadan holiday nor the May holidays filled 100% of Turkish hotels, and only a few hotels approached the desired 90%. At the same time after the holidays Antalya will begin to “quickly empty”. This assessment was voiced by Yilger Demirtash, Sales and Marketing Director of Clup Nena Hotel in Sidi.
The named hotel opened the season on April 20, the expert said, so he “observed” all the trends with his own eyes. “There was no STOP SALE for the holidays in any hotel, in any agency. In general, the highest occupancy rate is about 70%. If we look at the nearby hotels, there are many hotels at 30%. And there are many more hotels that are postponing the opening,” he said.
At the same time, after the holidays – both “local” Eid al-Fitr, and May – which coincided – occupancy falls throughout Antalya, the expert added. He noted that this typical seasonal failure is a favorite offer for “last minute tourists”, which lasts almost all of May. “Hotels that want to somehow recoup the remaining space are stepping up competition with extremely low prices,” he said. But the number of tourists who will buy these places is not a fact – adds Mr. Demirtas. Most of those who bought these places at the prices of early bookings came to the hotels. But hotels that expect to sell “last minute”, “are sure to suffer serious losses in revenue,” said the expert.
He also told such details – that the high load, including domestic tourists and Europeans on holidays “was observed only in luxury hotels in Cesme and Bodrum.” However, it cannot be said that this was a general trend – the Cesme authorities expected 70% occupancy, but this figure was noted only in some hotels. In Antalya, hotels in the Lara Kundu and Belek districts also had high occupancy rates. “These regions have amassed a significant share by lowering their prices at the Side and Kemer hotels. Foreign tourists mostly moved to these regions, “the expert added. However, the trend is the same: only five-star luxury hotels and hotels with European “specialization” in the Alanya region have reached 60% occupancy. And 35% of hotels in the region delayed the opening. In Kemer, occupancy was also low, except for a few hotels.
“Occupancy of some hotels could reach 90%. But the absence of STOP SALE in the agencies shows the general situation, “the Turkish hotelier added.