“We are waiting for a difficult summer,” – such an assessment was voiced by representatives of the tourist sector of Turkey, evaluating tourist statistics represented by the governor of Antalya. According to her, in May, about 1.2 million tourists arrived in the resort Turkish province – only aircraft. First of all, Turkish hotels declare that they lack Ukrainian and Russian tourists. As a result, the hotels of Antalya “remain dissatisfied”.
According to the country’s province, 1 million 198,000 tourists arrived in Antalya in May. In total, 2 million 282 thousand tourists arrived at the resort for the first 5 months. In this number of Germany, Russia has dropped to the second place.
“Although flights from Russia are increasing, this is not enough. Thy has increased its flights to Moscow, our other companies are also running, but this is not enough, ”the Dary Quin, President of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ATSO), commented on the situation. According to him, the problematic situation is noticeable in all companies that work on the Russian market.
He was supported by the mayor of the Municipality of Antalya Osman Aiik: “Data on tourists arriving in Antalya for the 5-month period of this year do not satisfy the whole sector. Prices are also not in the desired situation. Hopes and expectations in early 2022 were good. However, after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February, we have great losses in two major markets. Over the 5 months of the year, more than 1 million people arrived from these two countries, while more than 7 million tourists would arrive in the normal situation. We cannot cover losses in the Ukrainian and Russian markets with alternative markets, ”the expert said.
He also added that in some resorts, this problem is less relevant because there is an alternative – in particular, it applies to resorts such as Belek, Kundu and Lara, Side’s Manavgat in Antalya. For others, the absence of Ukrainian and Russian markets is very noticeable – for example, Alania and Kemer.
“The Russian market is indispensable for Turkey. Not everything is smooth in European markets: inflation in Europe varies within 8-12%, depending on a country that reduces the purchasing power of local tourists, ”said Türsab Hamit Cook Board. There are problems in Turkey itself – costs are too high, prices do not compensate for them, the situation is unpredictable. “We do not know what will happen to fuel prices. Due to the Russian war, inflation in Europe and volatility of exchange rates, the tourist is no longer able to determine the strategy. We will have a hard summer, ”the expert summarized.