Yusuf Gerceker, President of the International Halal Tourism Association, said, “The halal tourism sector achieved approximately 5 million overnight stays and an income of up to ₺1.5 billion in the 2023 tourism season. We want to increase both the number of hotels, guests and income per person.”
Gerceker stated that hotels serving within the scope of “halal tourism” do not differ greatly from known hotels, and that the quality service provided there is provided in a different concept.
Gerceker noted that the difference can be summarized as not serving alcohol, providing the necessary comfort for guests who want to fulfill their religious obligations, creating special sections for women and using “halal certified food products”. He said that the season in “halal tourism” usually starts in April, gains momentum when the academic year ends, and ends with the opening of schools.
Gerceker said, “90% of halal hotels are in Antalya. Antalya is like the stock market of this business. Turkiye is one of the biggest players in halal tourism.”
Emphasizing that Turkiye is a preferred destination and the service provided in this concept in hotels is of high quality, Gerceker pointed out that Turkiye is advantageous in terms of location with its proximity to the target markets.
Target markets Arab countries
Explaining that a significant portion of the guests are expats and Muslims living in Europe, Gerceker said that the target markets are Arab countries with high purchasing power such as Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Qatar.
Stating that there was an increase of approximately 20% in the number of guests compared to last year, Gerceker said:
“The halal tourism industry achieved approximately 5 million overnight stays and an income of up to ₺1.5 billion in the 2023 tourism season. We want to increase both the number of hotels, guests and income per person. We are pursuing how to increase the ₺1.5 billion we earned this year to ₺3 billion.”
Source: Trthaber / Prepared by Irem Yildiz