How many Russian tourists will Turkey host this year?
Luxury segment Turkish hotels failed to meet the high expectations for the 2023 summer season this year. Turkish hoteliers hope that demand from Russia will increase in the autumn as prices fall.
The senior manager of a luxury resort at ÇALIŞ, made evaluations about the 2023 summer season.
He pointed out that the demand from the Russian Sunday is very high in the summer season of 2022“ and said: “Many hoteliers expected that the top segment would repeat the success of the 2023 season in the 2022 season. According to the current situation – as it looks currently – Turkey can host more than 4 million Russian tourists this year.”
The same manager also noted following: “The expected demand from Russia so far has not reached the desired level. There are many reasons for this, but the most important is the price. Hotel accommodation prices in foreign currency increased by 20-25 percent, and with the depreciation of the ruble, the cost of Turkey tours also increased by 50-60 percent. The UAE and Southeast Asian countries became an alternative for Turkey.”
Explaining that occupancy rates in ÇALIŞ are at 60-70%, the manager said; “Our hotel has hosted approximately 3.5 – 4 thousand tourists since the beginning of the season. More than 50% of them are Russian-speaking guests. Russia and CIS countries are the leaders in our guest profile. Germany takes the second place and England takes the third place.
By the way, the professionals in the sector also note following: “Prices will go down by 40 – 45% in the Velvet Season in autumn and in the Winter period compared to summer. Sales will revive with the decrease of accommodation prices. Some tourism experts estimate that more than 4 million Russian tourists may come to Turkey in 2023. Turkey hosted 5.2 million tourists in 2022. If the forecast of more than 4 million Russian tourists this year turns out to be correct, Turkey will lose 15-20 percent of last year’s tourist flow.”
