Experts attribute the rise in prices for Turkey to the destination's growing popularity, primarily among European tourists. "Turkey is currently seeing noticeable interest from Europe; this summer, tourist flow from European countries alone is expected to increase by 3 million people. And there's still and other markets. Therefore, there won't be a price reduction like in 2017. On the contrary, they will increase by approximately 151%," said Marina Makarkova, head of public relations at tour operator Coral Travel.
According to Sergey Tolchin, Sales Director of the tour operator Intourist, the increase in tourist flow from European countries to Turkish resorts is already noticeable. "Of course, this will lead to changes in hotel pricing; they will become more expensive. Early booking is the answer," he noted.
Moreover, he said, Turkish hoteliers can't operate with constant discounts; they need to somehow maintain their infrastructure. "And that's not all the reasons: rising jet fuel prices in Russia will also lead to higher tour prices."
As for current hotel prices in Turkey, they remain at last year's levels. "However, if the flow of European tourists increases, hotels may be closed. We recommend that Russians planning to visit Turkey this summer take advantage of early booking promotions," the press service of tour operator Anex Tour reported.
Coral Travel added that the Early Booking promotion offers discounts on ground services in Turkey of up to 50%.
The Aegean coast is becoming increasingly popular
This year, tour operators have noted a rise in Russian interest in resorts on Turkey's Aegean coast. "This primarily concerns Bodrum. It has long been popular with our tourists, and interest is constantly growing. We're also seeing an increase in demand for vacations in Kusadasi," said M. Makarkova.
She noted that Bodrum is a favorite resort among Europeans, who are accustomed to planning their vacations and booking hotels in advance, so Russians should not delay purchasing a tour.
In turn, Intourist noted that last year, Dalaman Airport, which serves many resorts on the Aegean coast, welcomed 250,000 tourists from Russia—compared to 100,000 in 2015. "This summer, we expect 300,000 Russians to use the airport," said S. Tolchin.
Meanwhile, Anex Tour hasn't yet seen an increase in bookings for resorts on the Aegean coast. "The season there starts later than on the Antalya coast, so bookings for the Aegean coast are accordingly a bit later," the press service noted.
Record growth in bookings
Tour operators previously reported that Russian tourists showed increased interest in early-bird deals for summer vacations in Turkey compared to the same period in 2017. Specifically, tour operator Intourist saw a fourfold increase in bookings for tours with flights to Antalya and a sevenfold increase for tours with flights to Marmaris compared to January 2017. The press service of tour operator Biblio-Globus reported a 251% increase in demand for Turkish resorts during the early-bird booking phase. TUI Russia reports a twofold increase in sales.
Market participants noted that package tour bookings to Turkey are already reaching October, with increased interest in May and June tours also emerging. Active bookings are being made by residents of Moscow and St. Petersburg, as well as regions such as Yekaterinburg, Kazan, Krasnodar, Rostov-on-Don, Samara, Mineralnye Vody, Chelyabinsk, Ufa, and Novosibirsk. The average trip length is 9-12 nights.
In 2017, Turkey regained its position as the most popular foreign holiday destination for Russians. According to the country's Ministry of Culture and Tourism, 4.7 million Russian tourists visited the country, an increase of 4,441,000, or 5.5 times, compared to the previous year. Besides Russians, the top five countries by number of arrivals included Germany (3.58 million), Iran (2.5 million), Georgia (2.4 million), and Bulgaria (1.85 million). The United Kingdom ranked sixth with 1.65 million arrivals. Ukraine ranked seventh with 1.2 million arrivals, an increase of 221,000,000.
According to Turkish authorities, 5 million tourists from Russia are expected in 2018. Overall, Türkiye plans to welcome 36 million foreign visitors this year—3.6 million more than in 2017.
Source: tourism.interfax.ru
