The calming of the waters in the crisis between Wagner and the Russian army in Russia gave tourism professionals a deep breath. The data for the first half showed that Russia maintained the first place in tourism in Turkey.
The recent events in Russia, which ranks first in the list of countries where Turkish tourism hosts the most tourists, have been followed with concern in the sector. After the head of the Russian mercenary company Wagner, Yevgeni Prigojin, revolted against Moscow, the eyes were turned to Russia with the ongoing developments. Although the Wagner crisis seems to have been overcome and possible civil war scenarios have subsided, tourism professionals were alert to possible reservation cancellations due to the crisis and tense environment in Russia. The possibility of a decrease in the number of Russian tourists with reservation cancellations was discussed. But the data for the first half of 2023 showed that Russia, Turkey's main tourism market, still maintains its leadership despite all these developments.
'NUMBER OF TOURISTS WILL NOT BE AFFECTED'
In addition to the rapid recovery of the process, the positive messages from Russia also cleared the question marks in the sector in a short time. Evaluating the effects of the political tension created by the Wagner crisis on the sector, Turkish Travel Agencies Association (TÜRSAB) President Firuz Bağlıkaya stated that the developments will not affect the number of Russian tourists who prefer Turkey. Stating that current data show that Turkey will continue to be the most important tourism destination for Russians, Bağlıkaya said, "We do not expect a negative development in the Russian market in the 2023 season. There is no problem with the reservation flow. In this sense, we do not foresee any change in the Russian market.”
'RUSSIA IS THE FIRST MARKET THIS YEAR'
President (AKTOB) Kaan Kavaloğlu, who stated that there was a loss of nearly 90 percent in the tourism movement from Ukraine to Turkey, which is one of the important markets, due to the war environment between Russia and Ukraine, said that this loss was replaced by the increasing demand in European markets this year. Kavaloğlu stated that the political climate after the Wagner crisis in Russia did not reflect negatively on the tourism flow; "Due to the war between Ukraine and Russia, one of our important markets, we did not think that we could easily reach 2019 figures, but there is a significant increase in the Russian market. In the ranking of the countries sending the highest number of tourists to Turkey, this year it is again in the first place, ahead of Russia, Germany and England. Especially when we look at the package programs of tour operators, Antalya and Turkey seem to be a very important destination. We expect this positive environment in foreign markets to continue in September and October, and we expect 2023 to end with good figures for the tourism sector."
'NO DELAY IN RESERVATIONS'
Şükrü Cimrin, Member of the Board of Directors of Turkey Tourism Promotion and Development Agency (TGA) and Alanya Tourism Promotion Foundation (ALTAV), evaluating the reflection of the latest developments on Alanya tourism; “The Wagner Group's declaration of revolt against Russia on the grounds that they were attacked, that they crossed to the city of Rostov on the border with Ukraine and besieged it, and then declared that they would march on Moscow brought up the possibility of confusion in Russia, which could lead to a civil war. The escalation of the tension made us, the tourism professionals, uneasy. It was possible for tourists coming from Russia to Turkey to postpone their vacation plans. But now, as a result of the agreement of both parties, this risk has disappeared. The agreement was a good development for everyone. The Russian market is very important to us. Currently, there is no disruption in the booking flow to Alanya from Russia. There is no situation that affects Russian tourists.