Turkish hotels did not raise prices for tourists – hoteliers blamed tour operators for the insane increase in the price of tours to Turkey. This is the next stage of the discussion of the hot topic of high prices and the mass refusal of European tourists to rest in Turkey, which was raised by the Turkish tourism media. They also blame the air carriers for raising prices.
“I don’t think hotels have dramatically raised prices. Due to rising costs both in Turkey and around the world, we have had to make some adjustments to our prices to maintain the same quality of service we provide to our guests. Our value is increasing in foreign currency due to the increase in prices,” said Burhan Sili, president of the Association of Alanya Tour Operators (ALITD).
Then the expert identified the main culprits of soaring Turkish prices. “Prices for package tours have increased primarily due to increased aviation fuel and an increase in other cost items, including aircraft and ground services. Already in second place is the increase in hotel prices, which is directly proportional to the increase in their costs. Instead, to demand from the hotel a reduction in the price of the hotel, it is necessary to properly manage the process through mutual consultations,” urged the Turkish expert.
He also proposed two somewhat opposite solutions. The first is that many tourists hope that the “hand of the market” will more or less adjust the prices. “The price is formed at the point of balance of supply and demand. If there are objects that raised prices above a reasonable limit, they will have to be adjusted sooner or later,” said Mr. Seely. At the same time, he added that the hotels, which suffered first from the pandemic, then from the fall in the main markets, “made every effort” to survive in the winter period and in the summer they need to accumulate funds.
So the second solution will not please tourists. “Compared to other countries that perform this work, we are much more advanced both in terms of service and in terms of the quality of facilities. We can focus on working with less occupancy, but in the sense of sustainable tourism, instead of 100 percent occupancy, which we tried before,” said the Turkish expert. That is he proposed to “leave behind” the budget category of tourists who will not attract the prices of Turkish hotels.