Turkish tourism 'worked miracle' last year

ISTANBUL

The word “miracle” can best describe the performance of the Turkish tourism industry last year, when the country suffered from devastating earthquakes and geopolitical troubles impacted the sector, says Kaan Kavaloğlu, the president of the Mediterranean Touristic Hoteliers and Operators Association (AKTOB).

“The tourism season had to start in June due to the earthquakes. Then we had the elections. In the first five months of 2023, there were almost no tourism activity,” he said.

The tourism numbers for 2023 are astonishing, according to Kavaloğlu.

“Our largest - Russia - and third largest - Ukraine - markets are still at war. We managed to compensate the losses from those two markets from the European markets.”

Türkiye attracted 1.15 million Polish tourists, Kavaloğlu said, adding that Poland has become the rising star for the Turkish tourism sector.

It is too early to talk about what may happen in 2024, Kavaloğlu said. “Will we be able to start the season in April? Will hotels open their doors earlier? Will we have an extended tourism season?... There are lots of questions.”

There has been talk of year-round tourism, but a more realistic approach is needed, according to Kavaloğlu.

“We first should do the planning for a seven-month period, and then we may move on to make plants for 12 months.”

Foreign tourist arrivals in Türkiye increased by 10.8 percent in January-November from a year ago to 46.7 million.

Some 23.6 million holidaymakers from European countries visited Türkiye in the first 11 months of 2023, up 8.6 percent.

Türkiye aims to increase tourism revenues from a projected $59.6 billion in 2024 to $64.7 billion next year and $71.3 billion in 2026.