The Turkish tourism sector, which enjoyed another record-breaking summer with a surging number of foreign arrivals, particularly to its Mediterranean resorts and major transcontinental hub Istanbul, is expecting a prolonged continuation of the season, according to the sector’s officials.
Turkish Hoteliers Federation (TÜROFED) Vice President Mehmet Işler told Anadolu Agency (AA) on Tuesday that the tourism sector began fulfilling expectations in August, adding that they expect the tourist season to stretch further in the fall.
Işler, the chairperson of the Aegean Touristic Enterprises and Accommodations Association (ETIK), told AA that Turkish tourism is growing every year and that he believes it will reach a target of 60 million tourists in 2023.
The government sees foreign arrivals to Türkiye reaching 60 million this year, which it estimates will hit 90 million in 2028.
The influx in July has seen foreign arrivals in Istanbul reach the highest monthly level in a decade, with around 1.87 million tourists visiting, official data showed last week, while the country hosted some 7.15 million foreigners overall, an increase of 7.25% year-over-year.
Highlighting the negative impact of the early February earthquakes on the start of the Turkish tourism season, Işler acknowledged the slowdown in reservations in the aftermath of the powerful tremors.
"Our country experienced a very painful event. Our reservation flows were slow in the aftermath of this incident. We didn't have a particularly brilliant July either. Turkish tourism began taking off, especially in August and September. With favorable weather (conditions), we foresee an extension of the season," Işler explained.
Elaborating on the interest in Turkish destinations, Işler further noted that besides ongoing interest from Germany and Russia, they also witnessed developments in the markets that were not previously "the target markets."
"There is movement in the Far East, especially in China. We also see developments in the Latin American markets in terms of new tourism diversity. But as usual, Germany and Russia are taking the lead this year as well," Işler said.
"Russia had a surge in numbers in July and August compared to the previous year. Germany continues to be our main market as always."
He also conveyed the expectation of attracting 3.5 million tourists arriving from the United Kingdom by the year-end, noting that the highest figure was seen in 2019 when Türkiye hosted 2.5 million Britons.
Additionally, Işler noted the signs of an extended tourism season with the increase in reservations for both September and October.
"So far, our reservation flows have increased by 15% when compared to September and October a year ago. We have reservations for November as well. Depending on weather conditions, the current situation and developments, we can provide accurate figures on the extension of the season to November and December by the end of September," Işler noted.
Conveying optimism for arrivals from France and China, Işler said, "The way is now open for the Chinese to come to Türkiye. Our travel companies have been very proactive in this matter, and tourists from China have started arriving."
Beijing last month announced the decision to lift a COVID-19 era ban on outbound group tours to dozens of countries including Türkiye, the United States and Japan.
"We had also started slowly in the Russian market. Today, the Russian market equals the German market. I believe that the Chinese market will reach the same point in the coming days. The Chinese market is not focused on sun, sand and sea; it is more culture and gastronomy-oriented. This will be an additional avenue that will increase the diversity of Turkish tourism," Işler noted.