The tourism outlook of Türkiye's popular hub Antalya appears to be improving amid the revival stemming from the European market after the Euro 2024 football championship, according to industry representatives on Monday.
The European market, which slowed down during the Euros, has picked up again and occupancy rates have surged after a brief downturn observed during the championship that ran between June 14 to July 14 and was held in Germany.
Antalya, traditionally known for numerous tourists coming from Germany, still saw an increase in arrivals, according to an Anadolu Agency (AA) report.
The city, recognized for its sea, sand, sun and historical attractions, saw a 12% increase in tourist numbers, reaching over 7.5 million by July 17 compared to the same period last year.
Russia took the lead in tourist numbers, followed by Germany, the U.K. and Poland. The city, which is expected to exceed the target of 17 million tourists by the end of the year aims to break a new record with 18 million visitors.
Kaan Kavaloğlu, president of the Mediterranean Tourism Hoteliers and Operators Association (AKTOB), speaking to AA noted that they experienced a slowdown period due to Euro 2024 after the very busy Eid al-Adha, also known as the Qurban Bayram holiday.
The city, indeed, was reported to have recorded one of the busiest Qurban Bayram holidays in recent years, while Antalya Airport shuttered the record in the number of daily flights at least twice in the recent period.
Reiterating that the championship was held in Germany, one of the source markets, Kavaloğlu said, "During that period, arrivals from Germany to our country slowed down. After the championship, our occupancy rates exceeded 90% as of the second week of July. We are currently experiencing a high season in Antalya. The European market has revived again."
Moreover, he noted that they managed to overcome the effects of the bankruptcy of FTI, Europe's third-largest tour operator based in Munich, with minimal damage. He said that tourists with reservations were rearranged to come to Türkiye through other operators and that guests who had completed their holidays returned to their countries without any issues.
At the same time, Kavaloğlu emphasized the importance of expatriates living in Europe spending their holidays in Türkiye, expressing optimism their number would continue to increase.
"Our expatriates stay for a long time, both having their holidays and visiting their homeland. This has a very positive impact on tourism. By June, nearly 600,000 European Turks had preferred Antalya. This will continue to increase," he explained.
"Turks living in Europe also worked during Euro 2024. Since the championship is over, they can now come comfortably. We expect 1 million expatriates to vacation in Antalya this year," noted Kavaloğlu.
Some of the sector representatives also appeared to rebuke recent reverberating reports of domestic industry seeing lower bookings as some Turkish citizens opted for holidays in nearby Greek islands.
"A wrong perception is being created. 'No, the hotels are empty, no, there are more staff than guests in the hotels.' There is no such thing," said Professional Hotel Managers Association (POYD) President Hakan Saatçioğlu.
He cited the decrease in the occupancy of some 5%-8% but noted that not all visitors to Antalya decide on a hotel stay, as there are those visiting relatives and a notable number in real estate sales to foreigners.
Volkan Yorulmaz, president of the Kemer Region Promotion Foundation (KETAV), similarly explained that the European market slowed down as the German government canceled leaves in all public institutions, from hospitals to security due to the championship.
Yorulmaz, who is also the general manager of a hotel, pointed out that the German business world also postponed holidays during the championship, saying, "Many Europeans, especially Germans, postponed their holidays a bit."
"We see a more active European market in July. We expect great potential from Europe, especially in September, October and November. The arrival of expatriates continues," he said.
