The number of visitors to Pamukkale in the January-March period increased by 100 thousand compared to the same period of the previous year and was recorded as 229 thousand 897.
Despite the earthquake, the tourism professionals have high hopes
Gazi Murat Şen, Chairman of Denizli Touristic Hotel and Operators Association (DENTUROD), told Anadolu Agency (AA) that Pamukkale made a good start to the new year, but reservation cancellations were seen after the earthquake.
Expressing that they have great hopes for the season at the beginning of the new year, Şen said:
"We expected it to be a very good season, both as a country and as Denizli. However, our hopes and expectations were eroded after the earthquake disaster in February as a country. After the earthquake disaster, the domestic guests' refusal to go on vacation in the domestic market caused a recession. When we look at the foreign market, false and insensible earthquake news about Istanbul, especially from abroad, caused the cancellation of foreign guests in April and May."
"We did not lose our hopes for the year 2023"
Noting that despite everything, tourism professionals continue their preparations for the region to gain vitality, Şen said:
"Starting from June, we see that the demands have increased again, especially on the foreign front. We had a very fast season after June last year. We expect that in 2023, as of June, many local and foreign guests will visit various regions and we will complete the year with a better season than 2022. We did not lose our hopes for 2023. We had set the target of 3 million for Pamukkale. As all tourism professionals, we will do our best to achieve this goal."
Gazi Murat Şen stated that 86 thousand 911 visitors came to the ruins in January, and although they experienced a decline in February, they started to recover in March.
Şen said, "In the first 3 months, Pamukkale received approximately 230 thousand visitors. The months we receive the highest number of visitors are July, August, September, and October. In these months, we receive over 400 thousand visitors in just one month. This low figure in the first three months does not make us very nervous. We will close this gap and reach approximately 3 million visitors at Pamukkale by the end of the year."