Turkish Hoteliers Federation Vice President Tacettin Ozden said that the hotels that received safe tourism certificates within the scope of the new type of coronavirus (covid-19) measures closed the months of July and August with a 95% occupancy rate.
Tacettin Ozden, who is also the Chairman of Kusadasi Hoteliers and Investors Association, told Anadolu Agency (AA) that hoteliers had a very good period in July and August.
Noting that the hotel operators who received the safe tourism certificate are happy, Ozden noted that the activity in these two months made the sector happy.
Expressing that there are locals and expatriates, as well as tourists from Poland, Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, the Netherlands, France and Iran, in the hotels, Ozden said, “Our hotels completed the month of August with an occupancy rate of 95%. I can say that everyone is happy. In September and October, we cannot see clearly in front of us. We’re going with a little more last-minute reservations. I think these months will be good as reservations come in.”
Noting that they expect a serious activity from the Balkan countries in September and October, Ozden said that tourists from the Balkan countries will contribute to the occupancy rate of the hotels in these two months.
Emphasizing that they had a very good season compared to last year, Ozden said, “We are ahead of last year. Tourists coming to Turkey are extremely happy and satisfied. Price and quality are very good in Turkey. We also implement the all-inclusive concept very well. Our service standards are very good. So people get a lot of what they pay for.”
“WE SET AN EXAMPLE TO THE WORLD”
Stating that they expect a better season next year, Ozden said, “Because a serious point has been reached at the vaccination point. Vaccination is still continuing. I hope that it will be a year when restrictions will be lifted, narrow-scale tourism will come to an end, and we will return to the old days. People’s accumulated desire for travel will explode tourism in an instant. Turkey is one of the countries that will get the most and the fastest share from this.”
Ozden stated that the hotels fulfill the criteria of safe tourism certificate and continued as follows:
“Serious measures have been taken against the epidemic. Our hotels have been sensitive in this regard. Therefore, there have been no major problems in the hotels. It has gone very well so far. Tourists also enjoyed their holidays. We have one plus. We move very quickly and make decisions. We are one of the first countries to apply the safe tourism certificate. We took decisions very quickly and implemented them, we set an example to the world. It has been very positive for us.”
Burak Karakaya, the manager of a 5-star hotel in Didim, pointed out that there was a 30% increase in accommodation compared to the previous year, and said, “July and August were particularly good for us. We strictly implemented the epidemic measures within the scope of the safe tourism certificate. For this reason, our domestic and foreign guests enjoyed their holidays in safety.”
Source: Sabah / Translated by Irem Yildiz