Firuz Baglikaya, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Association of Turkish Travel Agencies (TURSAB), said that they have moved the early booking period from after the New Year to December.
TURSAB Chairman Baglikaya stated that the tourism figures made the sector stakeholders happy at the tourism fair he attended in Antalya.
Emphasizing that Turkiye is an important tourism country, Baglikaya said that alternative tourism destinations should come to the fore in order to spread tourism over 12 months and increase the number of tourists to 60-70 million.
Reminding that the figures of 2019, which was a record year in tourism, were exceeded this year, Baglikaya said, “Except for this year, the tourism sector has gone through very difficult times for 3 years. From the beginning, it was clear from the fairs and tourism events we attended that the 2023 season would be good.”
Baglikaya stated that there has been a significant increase in tourism movements around the world and noted that people attach more importance to travel due to the impact of the Covid-19 epidemic.
Pointing out that travel has increased in Turkiye and the domestic market has become more active, Baglikaya said, “We expect much better seasons in the coming years. I hope we will finish with a record in the 100th anniversary of the Republic, and we will continue on our way by adding records from now on.”
Pointing out that Antalya is one of the brand cities in tourism, Baglikaya said, “Antalya has a target of 16 million tourists by the end of the year. We expect a better performance than this year’s in the coming years. Antalya is an important destination with its nature, culture, sea and gastronomy.”
Baglikaya explained that tourism revenues are also at a good point.
Stating that it is very difficult to raise the per capita income above $1000 in countries that receive 50-60 million tourists, Baglikaya said, “$850-$900 are good figures in places with an average stay of 9-10 days in tourism, and I can say that we have achieved successful momentum in this regard.”
Early booking campaign for local tourists is in December
Firüz Baglikaya noted that by launching early booking campaigns for local tourists at the beginning of the year, they enabled citizens to have a holiday with suitable opportunities.
Baglikaya stated that they will start the early booking campaign in the first week of December this year and said:
“Our advice to our citizens is that if you plan and book your trip early, you will have the chance to have a holiday at very affordable prices, wherever and whenever you want. Turkiye is an important tourism country, if one market closes, 2-3 markets reopen. It is out of the question for Turkiye’s tourism figures to decrease. Because we have many alternative markets, we are a country that accepts tourists from many different places. That’s why our citizens need to act very early. We have reduced the early reservations from after New Year’s to the beginning of December.”
Explaining that accommodation facilities allocate their quotas according to markets, Baglikaya stated that each hotel determines a certain quota not only for the Turkish market, but also for each market such as England, Germany and domestic tourists, according to its own strategy.
Baglikaya advised local tourists to make their holiday plans and purchase their holidays early, before the quotas allocated for domestic tourism are filled.
Reminding that the early booking period was active last year, Baglikaya added that they expect the same activity this year.
Source: Trthaber / Prepared by Irem Yildiz