A prominent expert in tourism sector has stated that the number of tourists in Antalya for the year 2024 will not exceed that of 2023. He also drew attention to the language issue among tourism personnel.
“Youth of the country ranked 4th in tourism doesn’t speak English”
The expert shared following statements: “To have higher achievement figures in 2024, as Antalya city, we should have done something. Expecting more guests by just continuing our daily lives is against the nature of trade. It’s like looking for personnel who speak English without doing anything. Turkey ranks 4th in terms of visitor numbers globally. The youth of a country ranking fourth, does not speak English or any other language. We do not have enough educators in our schools to teach this. And we are looking for personnel.”
“Increase in minimum wage should parallel inflation and exchange rate increase”
We have a structure where more people serve people. We are trying to overcome the cost of this labor with a monster called the exchange rate issue. The increase in the minimum wage should parallel the inflation and exchange rate increase. When one goes ahead and the other follows, it seriously affects the costs of tourism. Therefore, we see a threat that the number of incoming guests will not be sufficient for tourism.”
“Region’s attractiveness needs to be emphasized”
Pointing out that regional marketing is done abroad, the expert said, “The plan for the entire region needs to be visually marketed. It should be marketed with visuals, buildings, parks and streets placed in a structured way. Our friends are trying to market with visuals of the buildings they will make themselves, but it doesn’t mean anything. The attractiveness of that region needs to be emphasized.”
