The Turkish Ministry of Tourism and Culture has decided to significantly adjust its forecasts for profitability in the tourism industry. The country’s authorities admitted that their expectations for the coming years regarding the replenishment of the budget from foreign guests are unlikely to come true.
The head of the department, Mehmet Nuri Ersoy, said that in the first 6 months, tourism income in Turkey amounted to $21.7 billion. But, despite the increase in tourist flow relative to similar periods of previous years, the indicators still do not correlate with forecasts.
The results were influenced by a combination of factors. For example, some travelers canceled hotel reservations just before the start of the season and chose other destinations due to a large-scale earthquake in the country. In addition, this time the weather was bad. Until mid-July, air and sea temperatures were below normal, which became a negative factor for many tourists.
As a result, the ministry revised the forecast for tourism income for the next years. Thus, in 2024 it decreased from 68 to 59 billion dollars, in 2025 – from 77 to 65, and in 2026 – from 85 to 71. At the same time, the minister did not announce any plans to increase the tourist flow. For now, the tourism department recognizes the negative trend as a given.