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Turkey caught 2019 in winter tourism this year in occupation and turnover

The semester break filled ski, thermal and Antalya hotels. Prices increased by 40% compared to last year. Tourism professionals, who are satisfied with the demand, say, “2019 is the year of winter tourism we reached.”

The semester break, which started the previous day, filled the hotels. During the two-week holiday, the occupancy rates of ski hotels and thermals reached 90%. During this period, the occupancy rate of open hotels in Antalya, which organized special events for children, reached 80%. This dynamism gave hope that the 2019 figures, which is the brightest year of the sector in tourism, will be achieved. As it will be remembered, the Minister of Culture and Tourism Mehmet Nuri Ersoy made a statement for the year 2022 as “We aim to catch the 2019 figures, which is the brightest year in tourism.”

PRICES INCREASED BY 40%

Leading tourism professionals of the sector stated that they caught 2019 in the first 20-day period of this year. Stating that people are tired of staying at home due to Kovid, industry players said, “There was activity last semester, but there was anxiety because the vaccination rates were low. Now there is the Omicron variant, but because it is mild, people want to go on vacation. This year, 2019 figures have been reached in winter tourism, and we foresee that it will be exceeded in some regions.” Stressing that the semester is a special period, tourism professionals said that prices increased by 40% on average in this period compared to last year.

WE WILL HOST 500 THOUSAND GUESTS

Erciyes Inc. Chairman of the Board Murat Cahid Cingi noted that all the hotels on the mountain reached 100% occupancy, and the occupancy rate of city hotels was around 80%. Cingi said, “Mountain hotels have received reservations months ago. They cannot meet the new demand. However, it is very easy to reach the mountain from the city. There is a strong demand for city hotels at the moment. In Erciyes, we will host around 400 to 500 thousand guests, including day trips, during the semester. We have achieved the figures of 2019 in domestic tourism. We will close this year with pre-pandemic figures, and even exceed 2019 in the number of foreign tourists.”

WE REACHED THE €30 BAND AGAIN

Gazi Murat Sen, President of Denizli Touristic Hoteliers and Operators Association (DENTUROD), noted that the occupancy rate of thermal hotels in the city is around 80% on average. Explaining that last-minute reservations are also coming, Sen said, “We are very pleased with the demand. We have achieved an increase in revenue and the number of people by 50% over last year. We are 20% behind 2019 in the number of people, but we caught 2019 in revenue. In 2019, room rates were €30 per person per day. This price had fallen to €20 in 2021. We went back to the €30 band”

SPECIAL ACTIVITIES FOR CHILDREN IN ANTALYA

Mediterranean Touristic Hoteliers and Operators Association (AKTOB) Vice President and Limak Holding Tourism Group Head Kaan Kavaloglu stated that 30% of the hotels in Antalya are open and said, “The occupancy rate of these hotels reached 80% in the semester. Local tourists provide 50% of this occupancy.”

Explaining that those who came to the hotels during this period benefited from facilities such as spa, indoor pool and sports, Kavaloglu said, “At the same time, many hotels have prepared special events for children.” Explaining that they have prepared quiet rooms for the 8th and 12th graders, especially in Limak hotels, who are preparing for the exam, Kavaloglu said, “Children study here. Their families are also resting.” Explaining that they approached the 2019 figures in the first 20 days of the year, specifically for Antalya, Kavaloglu said, “97 thousand people came to Antalya in the first 20 days of 2019. In the first 20 days of this year, 92 thousand people came.”

DEMANDS ARE TOO HIGH NOW

Kaya Palazzo (Dorukkaya- Kartalkaya) Regional Manager Yusuf Avci, stating that the increasing snowfall in the last period has accelerated the reservations, said, “The average occupancy rate in the region for this week is 85%. However, there are last-minute demands. Therefore, we will close this week above 90%.

Demand for the next week is currently around 80%. However, there is a lot of instant demand.” Explaining that the prices increased by 40% on TL basis compared to last year, Avcı noted that this did not adversely affect the demand. Evaluating the season compared to 2019, Avci said, “Reservations are going very well. If the opposite situation does not develop, we will catch the year 2019.”

WE EXCEED 2019 IN TURNOVER AND OCCUPATION

Dedeman Palandoken Hotel General Manager Veli Tuzak stated that both hotels in the region reached 100% occupancy for a two-week holiday, and that they could not receive new requests. Explaining that the prices have increased by 80% compared to the same period of the previous year, Tuzak said, “The daily room prices in the hotels on the mountain start from ₺3 thousand and go up to ₺10 thousand.” Noting that they will have a good season this year, Tuzak said, “Based on the demand, we foresee that we will exceed 2019 in both occupancy and turnover in Palandoken this winter.”

Source: Sabah / Translated by Irem Yildiz

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