{"id":156579,"date":"2023-04-27T01:20:37","date_gmt":"2023-04-27T01:20:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/culture.org\/?p=156579"},"modified":"2023-05-01T18:09:43","modified_gmt":"2023-05-01T18:09:43","slug":"turkeys-tourism-sector-faces-challenges-amid-earthquake-aftermath-and-election-uncertainty","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/culture.org\/travel\/turkeys-tourism-sector-faces-challenges-amid-earthquake-aftermath-and-election-uncertainty\/","title":{"rendered":"Turkey&#8217;s Tourism Sector Faces Challenges Amid Earthquake Aftermath and Election Uncertainty"},"content":{"rendered":"           <!--  <script type=\"text\/javascript\">\r\n                jQuery(document).ready(function() {\r\n                    jQuery(\".key-accordion-item .key-menu\").on(\"click\", function() {\r\n                        if (jQuery(this).parent().hasClass(\"active\")) {\r\n                            jQuery(this).next().slideUp();\r\n                            jQuery(this).parent().removeClass(\"active\");\r\n                        } else {\r\n                            jQuery(\".key-content\").slideUp();\r\n                            jQuery(\".key-accordion-item\").removeClass(\"active\");\r\n                            jQuery(this).parent().addClass(\"active\");\r\n                            jQuery(this).next().slideDown();\r\n                        }\r\n                    });\r\n                })\r\n            <\/script> -->\r\n\r\n\r\n            <!-- start html -->\r\n\r\n            <div class=\"news-key-takeaway-wapper\">\r\n                                <span style=\"background-color:#9259b9;\">Key Takeaways<\/span>\r\n                <ul class=\"news-key-nbox\" style=\"border-color:#9259b9;background-color:rgba(146, 89, 185, 0.1);\">\r\n                                                        <li>Turkey's tourism industry has been significantly affected by the earthquake, but hotel owners are optimistic about a gradual recovery as the government has relocated displaced individuals to alternative accommodations.<\/li>\r\n                                                                    <li>The upcoming elections have deterred tourists, but hotel owners are hopeful that the peak summer travel season will lead to a possible return to pre-earthquake travel figures.<\/li>\r\n                                                                    <li>Coastal resorts that were spared from damage offer potential for recovery, particularly with an influx of Russian tourists who are among the few available destinations due to Western sanctions.<\/li>\r\n                                                                    <li>The expected decrease in Russian tourists due to the ongoing conflict with Ukraine could have severe consequences for Turkey's economy, impacting inflation and the currency.<\/li>\r\n                                                                    <li>The Turkish government aims to generate $56 billion in tourism revenues this year and may need to secure up to $20 billion in external funding to support the lira for the remainder of the year.<\/li>\r\n                                                <\/ul>\r\n            <\/div>\r\n            \n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Following months of accommodating earthquake survivors in his hotels, Hakan Saatcioglu, the coordinator of Limak International Hotels &amp; Resorts, is among many hotel owners who anticipate their establishments will soon welcome tourists.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The government has relocated displaced individuals to alternative accommodations, raising optimism for the revival of Turkey&#8217;s crucial tourism sector, which was significantly affected by the devastating quake that claimed over 50,000 lives and left countless individuals homeless.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><strong>Gradual Rebound in Tourism<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Turkey&#8217;s tourism industry has experienced a slow recovery since the catastrophic earthquake on February 6. The government is focusing on tourism revenue to reduce the current account deficit ($48.8 billion last year).<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Nevertheless, progress has been sluggish. According to data from ForwardKeys, stays of two nights or more in Istanbul have decreased by 31% compared to 2019.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The decline in new bookings results in lower revenue for travel professionals and the broader economy. Before the earthquake, foreign visitors to Turkey had increased by 80% YoY to 44.56 million in 2022, but the recent disaster has disrupted that growth.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><strong>Impact of Upcoming Elections on Tourism<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The May 14 elections, which present the most significant political challenge for President Tayyip Erdogan in his twenty-year tenure, have also deterred tourists due to concerns about potential disruptions.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Hotel owners are eager to fill their rooms, but bookings for the first two weeks of May are low. Tourism officials predict a possible return to pre-earthquake travel figures following the elections, particularly as the peak summer travel season in Turkey commences.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2>                        <!-- <div class=\"container-c\"> -->\r\n                        <!-- <div class=\"row justify-content-between\"> -->\r\n                        <!-- <div class=\"col-post-800\"> -->\r\n                        <!-- start html -->\r\n                        <div class=\"blockquote-wapper\">\r\n                            <div>\r\n                                <span class=\"text_quot\">\r\n                                    <p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The government has relocated displaced individuals to alternative accommodations, raising optimism for the revival of Turkey&#8217;s crucial tourism sector, which was significantly affected by the devastating quake that claimed over 50,000 lives and left countless individuals homeless.<\/span><\/p>\n                                <\/span>\r\n\r\n                                <div class=\"quot_icon\">\r\n                                    <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/culture.org\/wp-content\/themes\/culture\/icons\/i_quot.svg\" type=\"image\/svg+xml\">\r\n                                <\/div>\r\n                            <\/div>\r\n\r\n                            <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"quot_tick\" src=\"https:\/\/culture.org\/wp-content\/themes\/culture\/icons\/i_quot_tri.svg\" type=\"image\/svg+xml\">\r\n                        <\/div>\r\n                        <!-- end html -->\r\n                        <!-- <\/div> -->\r\n                        <!-- <\/div> -->\r\n                        <!-- <\/div> -->\r\n                                    <\/h2>\n<h2><strong>Coastal Resorts Offer Potential for Recovery<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The earthquake&#8217;s epicenter was in the southeastern city of Kahramanmaras, sparing coastal resorts from damage.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This, along with an influx of Russian tourists, offers hope for recovery. In March, foreign arrivals to the popular Mediterranean resort area of Antalya rose by 54% YoY, reaching a record high. Russians topped the list, followed by Germans and Britons.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">After facing Western sanctions over its invasion of Ukraine, Turkey remains one of the few destinations available to Russian travelers.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Turkish government aims to generate $56 billion in tourism revenues this year, and despite the challenges, Ankara is committed to reaching that pre-earthquake target.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><strong>Consequences of Reduced Russian Tourist Numbers<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine has led to an expected significant decrease in Russian tourists visiting Turkey this year.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Association of Tour Operators of Russia suggests that two million Russian tourists would be a favorable number for 2022, a marked decline compared to the 4.7 million Russians who visited Turkey in 2021.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><strong>Economic Ramifications<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The drop in tourism revenue, particularly from Russian and Ukrainian tourists, could have severe consequences for Turkey&#8217;s economy.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The decline in tourism is projected to impact the Turkish economy even after the season ends, exacerbating the nation&#8217;s soaring inflation and floundering currency.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The government may need to secure up to $20 billion in external funding to support the lira for the remainder of the year.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If this amount cannot be obtained, significant currency restrictions might become necessary.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":18,"featured_media":156582,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[408],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-156579","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-travel"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/culture.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/156579"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/culture.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/culture.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/culture.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/18"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/culture.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=156579"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/culture.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/156579\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/culture.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/156582"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/culture.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=156579"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/culture.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=156579"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/culture.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=156579"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}