Going on a vacation in Turkey has become ultra expensive even for foreign tourists, say tourism sector players. In the face of spiking prices, foreign tourists have steered their attention to other countries such as Egypt and Spain, according to Duvar English.
Tourism sector representatives have said that the unstoppable inflation in Turkey has also caused foreign tourists to prefer other countries.
With the spiking inflation, the cost of expenses of hotels doubled in Turkey, which was reflected in accommodation prices. According to reporting by premier economics news site Ekonomim.com, going on a vacation in Turkey costs the same price as in Greece but is more expensive than in Spain.
In the face of these prices, tourism sector representatives have warned that Turkey might lose a considerable number of Russian tourists this year, as Russians are more inclined to make their reservations at the last minute, making the vacation prices higher.
Taras Kobyshchanov, vice president of the Russian Tour Operators Association (ATOR), one of the largest tour operators in Russia, has said that 5.2 million Russian tourists came to Turkey last year, but that this number might decrease to 4 million this year.
According to the data of leading analysis company STR Global, the price of a booked hotel room per day increased 37.4 percent this year in southern Antalya, reaching 110 euros on average. This number has been recorded as 138 euros for Istanbul. In Europe on the other hand, the average is 140 euros.
Turkish Travel Agencies Association (TÜRSAB) Executive Board member Hamit Kuk said that Russian tourists have started to prefer Egypt. “Ruble has also lost value. Therefore, economic problems are being experienced. Russians were not able to find the prices they were hoping for at the last minute,” he said.
According to the data of the U.K. Consumers’ Association, the cheapest weekly hotel package is in Spain at 639 pounds. Turkey follows this list in second place with 800 pounds, while Greece is in third place with 867 pounds.
Hamit Kuk said that since European tourists had earlier booked their hotel deals, the real problem will not occur this summer, but rather will concern the 2024 summer season as the booking contracts start to be signed in September of each year.
U.K.-centered Easyet Airlines company and Hungary-centered Wizz Air have cancelled their flights from Britain to Antalya and Dalaman in the winter season. The companies are believed to have taken such a decision due to low demand.
“If people are paying 2,000 euros more for a hotel where they spent the vacation last year, this is a great shock for them…Such price increases are extraordinary for Germany where there is 8 percent inflation,” said Bentour Germany Manager Songül Göktaş-Rosati.
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