The sinking of the British travel company Thomas Cook in 2019, the ensuing global epidemic, forest fires and the Russia-Ukraine crisis that emerged in 2022, when the effects of the epidemic began to diminish, are among the events that have challenged the Turkish tourism sector in the last three years.
Mehmet İşler, President of the Aegean Touristic Enterprises and Accommodation Association (ETIK), talked about the difficulties faced by the sector in the Headline program prepared and presented by Mehmet Kıvanç at CRI Türk.
“TOURISTS IN TWO IN ONE RIVER”
ETİK President Mehmet İşler reminds that a total of 5 million tourists, 2 million from Russia and 7 million from Ukraine, came to Turkey despite the global epidemic, and explains how expectations deteriorated:
“Our total tourist expectation from Russia and Ukraine in 2022 was around eleven million. The tourist is in trouble. Adding to the fact that we could not get their previous receivables on a foreign currency basis, the effects of the pandemic and the crisis, the jump in foreign currency in December 2021 and the increase in our costs, we were left in a mess.”
Although the increase in the exchange rate seems like an advantage that can attract foreigners at first, the situation changes when we look at it from the cost side. Isler also says that if they reflect the cost increases directly on the prices, they will experience loss of customers and complain about the industry's complaints, "We are left alone with many problems that we are not responsible for but are victims of." he sums up.
“UKRAINE CANCELLATION IS LESS THAN RUSSIA”
Noting that Turkish tourism operators shape their businesses on the southern coasts according to the expectations of tourists from Russia and Ukraine, ETİK President İşler says that the Ukrainian market has been completely lost at this point. Jobs adds that even in the best-case scenario, it is not possible to recover the Ukrainian market earlier than in three years.
Isler stated that the West's sanctions on Russia, Ankara's policy towards Moscow and Russia's decisions regarding the Turkish market will shape this year's Russian tourist expectations. Stating that the real sector, especially iron and steel, food, energy and tourism, was affected in the process, İşler said, "Turkey, which has good relations with both, does not face European sanctions on this issue, and that the process ends in peace as soon as possible and that its high interests are protected. He works as a peace ambassador. As tourism professionals, we strongly agree with this and support it.” said.
Noting that they expect the domestic market to become active due to the increase in foreign currency, İşler also stated that there are discount opportunities of up to 50 percent for domestic tourists due to the events. Estimating that international reservations will increase rapidly after peace, Isler urged domestic tourists to take advantage of early booking opportunities.
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