Planes are full, hotels are empty in Antalya

As of August 22, Antalya, one of the world's most important tourism centers, left 2019, which is considered to be the 'year of records' in tourism, behind. According to the data of Antalya Governorship Culture and Tourism Provincial Directorate; The number of tourists coming from Antalya and Gazipaşa Airport has exceeded 10 million. Antalya City Council Tourism Working Group President Recep Yavuz said that tourism professionals were unhappy at this time when the record was broken. It is also true that the tourist numbers are good, especially in some regions, despite the high season, there is an occupancy problem. I mean, it's like the planes are full and the hotels are empty."

'NO NEED TO PANIC'

Yavuz stated that the reason why the high numbers are not reflected in the hotels is questioned in the tourism community; “Do tourists turn to other alternatives instead of hotels?', 'Are the hotels full of planes?', 'Did the tourists change their route to cheaper countries?', 'Do the extreme temperatures affect the tourists negatively?', Many questions such as "Is the excessive bed capacity not good for Antalya?' All the tourism destinations of the world are struggling with similar issues these days."

'PRICE INCREASE IS THE BIGGEST REASON'

Saying that the reflection of price increases on tourism should not be ignored, Yavuz said, “The price of anything from gasoline to tomatoes, minimum wage, electricity, alcohol, detergent is not the same as last year's price in August. When everything is included in the service, the reflection becomes more severe. In this case, the reflection of the increasing prices and the pricing that is expected to increase is a reality of the tourist. Increasing prices are the reason why some tourists avoid the hotel. A different picture in each window, but wherever you shoot the price, demand and market conditions determine the direction of the price. No one can afford to trade at a loss under these conditions and hit the bottom of the price for the sake of competition. However, no one can afford to drag the profitability of the product above its value to a place where it cannot be moved. This is valid for every unit from hotel to transport, from plane”