Diversification key to lure more foreign tourists, say hoteliers

Türkiye can lure many more foreign tourists into the country if it diversifies products and services it offers to travellers, according to the representatives of the industry.

Türkiye has the potential to attract as many as 100 million tourists if it manages the tourism diversification, said Mehmet İşler, the head of the Aegean Touristic Enterprises and Accommodations Association (ETİK).

ETİK is meeting the targets for tourists who come to the country for the sun, sea and beach. But in order to have 100 million tourists, it needs to create tourism diversification.

Health, cruise travel, culture tourism, sports, congress tourism and gastronomy… these are the fields they need to focus on, İşler said.

Otherwise, Türkiye will be stuck with the current tourist numbers, according to İşler. He believes if the country diversifies tourism, it can attract 100 million foreigners by 2030.

İşler noted that 11 million tourists, including Turks living abroad, visited the country in the first four months of the year, but pointed out that not all of them stayed in hotels.

Occupation rate at accommodation facilities is around 30 percent, there are almost no domestic tourists, he said, voicing hope that domestic tourism activity may gather momentum after the May 28 elections.

Tourist arrivals from Russia slowed and Türkiye lost the Ukraine market, according to İşler.

High hotel prices adversely affected tourist inflows, particularly from the Russian market, said Ali Onaran, the board chair of Pronto Tour.

Russians’ purchasing power has declined because of the Western sanctions, he explained.

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