Mediterranean Touristic Hoteliers and Operators Association (AKTOB) President Dr. Erkan Yağcı told Hürriyet about Turkey’s winter tourism plan according to the available data. Yağcı said that Turkey stands out among its competitors not with cheap prices, but with healthy, reliable and qualified tourism. Drawing attention to the fact that there is a difficult process in Europe, but the input prices of tourism professionals in Turkey have increased, Yağcı said, “Antalya is one of the best destinations in terms of quality and price. We have not just included winter tourism on our agenda. Since 2014, we have been talking about what and how we will do in winter tourism and we put it into practice. Therefore, we have all kinds of opportunities for the development of winter tourism. In this period, we will be attractive not with cheap prices, but with healthy, reliable and qualified tourism,” he said.
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THE BEST OF THE LAST 3 YEARS
Noting that product and market diversification studies were carried out to improve winter tourism, Yağcı said, “Our most important goal was to increase the number of tourists between November and April with these studies. We achieved this relatively well in 2014. We even considered November and March as high season. When we look at the latest figures and developments in Europe today, I can say that we will experience the most active winter tourism of the last 3 years.”
Yagci continued:
“This expectation did not arise only because of the energy crisis in Europe. Antalya is a natural tourism city. We were already hosting many European tourists within the framework of winter tourism. In addition, we supported the winter season with health, football, golf, congress and event tourism. But this is also a fact; Antalya is the most important candidate that should receive the response of the demand in the face of the latest situation in Europe.”
GERMANY RANKED FIRST
“The data for November is very good. Then we have Christmas ahead of us. Football tourism is high in January and February. Iranian market in March is rising. These are good data for 2023. In winter tourism, the entire European market is our target. But of course Germany, England, the Netherlands, Belgium and Scandinavian countries will come to the fore for winter tourism,” said Erkan Yağcı, adding, “For now, we predict that November will be a good month, especially in the European and British markets, according to the trend of the European market and the signals we received from early booking. We also see a revival in the meeting and event segment,” he said.
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TARGET NORTH EUROPE
Ferit Turgut, Head of the Mediterranean Region Representation Group of the Association of Turkish Travel Agencies (TÜRSAB), made the following statements: “Obviously, it is difficult to predict exactly how the energy crisis in Europe will affect the tourism sector. But I can clearly say that this year we will have the most active winter tourism of the last 3 years. Turkey will get ahead of its competitors, especially with its understanding of quality tourism and price balance. We think that especially Northern European countries will prefer Turkey for their holidays as of winter.”
22 DAYS HOLIDAY IN TURKEY FOR 559 EURO
Germany-based discount supermarket chain Lidl has started all-inclusive Turkey holiday sales. The price of a 22-day holiday in Turkey, which is also on the agenda in social media, is 599 including flight costs. Euro declared as. All-inclusive holiday programs are sold for one week to 15 days. On the site of the chain market, Antalya, mainly from Turkey, came to the fore and there were over 4 thousand locations in total. While there are hotels with a price of 30 Euros per person for 2 nights and alternatives of 899 Euros per person for 7 nights; Lidl’s website offers holiday suggestions in many different destinations such as Nepal, Italy and Greece. Marija Linnhoff, President of the Association of German Travel Agencies (VUSR), also said that German retirees can spend the winter months in Majorca or Turkey to save energy, and that the state can provide 500 Euro premium support to encourage retirees who will spend the winter in warm Mediterranean countries.
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‘WE ARE WELL PREPARED FOR THE SEASON’
Ülkay Atmaca, President of the Professional Hotel Managers Association, gas He said that the crisis will have a direct impact on winter tourism. Speaking to Hürriyet, Atmaca said, “I can say that we are preparing for the best winter of the last period in terms of the tourism sector. Especially Antalya is a very attractive tourism destination. Due to both quality and safety, it will leave its competitors behind and host many tourists from Europe in winter. Considering the early booking movement, we think that the process will accelerate in November. We have made all our preparations for the winter season.”
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