Hediye Güral Gür: There is a significant increase in the British market

Hediye Güral Gür, Vice President of the Hoteliers Association of Turkey (TÜROB) and Chairperson of NG Hotels Board of Directors, revealed this year’s tourism goals and expectations.

TÜROB Vice President and NG Hotels Board of Directors Chairperson Hediye Güral Gür shared the tourism goals and expectations for this year with Milliyet columnist Abdullah Karakuş.

Here is a summary of Hediye Güral Gür’s statements:

– Early reservations are good. We are returning to pre-pandemic times. Especially the international fairs we have been attending since November, in the UK and Germany, and the one scheduled for Dubai in May, are our most effective fairs. Apart from these, we see that there is an increasing interest in our country in other countries as well. The interest is growing.

– Once someone visits, they come back. The rate of returning guests in certain facilities in our country is very high. The reason for this is the service they receive in the cities they visit. Our service quality is very good compared to other countries. Our facilities are in very good condition. Moreover, our climate and seas are wonderful. In addition to that, there are efforts to diversify tourism. The beauty of our plateaus, the beauty of our archaeological sites. These all contribute positively to us. There are archaeological excavations in almost every part of our country.

– 2024 is going well. Hopefully, we will break new records. Our sector has a significant contribution to the economy. Especially to the current account deficit. We earn income from foreign exchange sources. We believe that the contribution of the tourism sector to the economy is significant, and we are trying to fulfill our duties with this awareness.”

RISING MARKET IN UK

– “Diversification of the market is very important for us. Russia and Germany are neck and neck. Both around 6 million. The UK is a rapidly rising market. The number of guests coming from the UK is increasing day by day. We have seen an increase of up to 150% in our facilities. According to the statement of our Minister, it is expected that our nightly tourist per capita income will increase to $106 for 2024. This was $99 in 2023. These are nice increases in nightly rates. If we can bring tourists with high added value to our country, this is a plus for us.

– We have surpassed Spain in some markets. Europe knows us well. One of the most noteworthy countries as a new market is the USA. The number of tourists from the USA increased from approximately 500,000 to 1.4 million last year. Turkish Airlines (THY) is our national carrier. It has flights to 331 destinations. THY has special efforts to bring tourists from these places.”