The March Meetings with the Industry meeting of the Mediterranean Touristic Hoteliers and Operators Association (AKTOB) was held at Limak Lara Hotel.
AKTOB EVALUATED THE SEASON
In his speech, AKTOB President Kaan Kavaloğlu said; shared the world, Turkey and Antalya tourism data and 2023 expectations with the sector.
Kavaloğlu emphasized that despite the losses due to the war between Russia and Ukraine, Turkey spent 2022 as a good year.
We look good
Sharing his observations of international tourism fairs, Kavaloğlu drew attention to the rising demand in 2023, especially from Germany and England.
Kavaloğlu said, “Turkey is among the countries with the fastest recovery in 2021 and 2022. It also increased its tourism income in 2022. The average nightly spend by inbound visitors increased to $89 per year. The average expenditure per night of citizens residing abroad was 60 Dollars. The per capita tourism income, on the other hand, was over $1000, with an annual average of $1017. Last year, earnings per person per night also increased from $80 to $98.
In this success, the superior performance of the tourism sector, investors, professionals and all employees of Turkey and especially the Antalya Region has a great impact. On the other hand, according to the Travel Risk Map, one of the best views in 2023 is Turkey.”
Saying, “Our expectation in 2023 is that, apart from the current problems, the demand for Turkey and Antalya destinations will increase from all markets except Ukraine,” Kavaloğlu also added the factors that worry world tourism; cost increases, inflation pressure on consumers, geopolitical tensions.
Pointing out that the income in the tourism sector is in Dollars and Euros, however, due to reasons such as exchange rates and inflation pressure, Kavaloğlu pointed out that the costs in hotels increased by 94.13 percent compared to the previous year, and that price increases would be inevitable.
On the other hand, emphasizing that consumers have a more cautious attitude for these reasons, Chairman Kavaloğlu said, “There are tendencies towards less spending, shorter trips and closer trips to their homes. As in the past, tourism in Turkey should take precautions against risks,” he said.
Governor thanked the industry
Speaking at the meeting, Antalya Governor Ersin Yazıcı said, “The main purpose of my coming here today is to express my heartfelt thanks to you. First of all, we lost more than 50 thousand people in the earthquake disaster. I wish God’s mercy on them. As Antalya, we supported our earthquake victims and tried to give a hand to people in distress. I sincerely thank our industry representatives here, and then all our hotels, large and small, from Kaş to Gazipaşa. Antalya has done its part properly. We are about to complete the process by hosting 75 thousand people and almost without experiencing any negative events. This happened thanks to you. I am very happy and very satisfied. We trust our tourists. We expect a good 2023 tourism season. Antalya is ready, I hope we aim to break the record of the 2019 tourism season.”