The tourism sector in Turkey is rebounding at a slow pace after the country was hit by an earthquake on February 6, when more than 50,000 people died, among other damages such as the collapse of buildings across the southeast region.
The tragic event has made tourists sceptical about booking trips to Turkey, which in recent years has been one of the most alluring holiday destinations in the region. According to the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) forecast, Turkey was expected to increase by 5.5 percent every year over the next decade, scoring an overall 2.5 percent increase in the country’s economy, VisaGuide.World reports.
The tourism sector is particularly important for the country’s economy as President Erdogan focuses on reducing the current account deficit – some $48.8 billion last year, in order to tackle high inflation and interest rates.
However, the recovery of tourism has been slow since February. Overnight stays of two nights or more in Istanbul were below pre-pandemic levels by seven percent before the earthquake hit the country, while now those stall behind by 31 per cent.
“After months of excellent performance, when the country was leading the travel recovery in Europe (after the COVID pandemic), international tourism to Turkey is clearly taking a nosedive,” Olivier Ponti, ForwardKeys’ vice president for insights, told Reuters.
Authorities were hoping for a strong and robust tourism season in the country following travel restrictions imposed by COVID-19 being lifted. The war in Ukraine has also taken a toll on Turkey’s tourism sector. Though foreign visitors reaching Turkey increased by 80 per cent in 2022, reaching 44.56 million – still down from 45.06 million recorded in 2019.
Nearly ten percent of the country’s GDP comes from tourism, with 1.7 million people working in accommodation and food services, representing five percent of total employment.
Resorts are the hope for the Turkish tourism sector, as no coastal resort was affected, and the surge in Russian tourists has also been evident during this period.
Amongst others, Antalya governorate has revealed that foreign arrivals to the resort area have surged by 54 percent in March, hitting a record, with Russian tourists ranking first, followed by Germans and Britons.
Turkey is highly favourable to Russian citizens as it is one of the fewest European countries where these nationals can still fly, following strict Western sanctions imposed on Russia after the start of the military invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
The Mediterranean destination is also hoping that its lower prices will attract travel-hungry Britons to Turkey to spend their summer holidays.
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