Hotels in Turkey have seen a dip in demand due to protests in the country, according to a data analyst company.
STR Global’s managing director Elizabeth Winkle said the country is at a “crossroads and critical juncture” with its daily figures in June so far seeing up to 20% less demand than last year.
“If the situation continues and/or escalates, then I would expect to see displacement as we did in Egypt, where the effects of that displaced demand are still impacting Egypt’s tourism recovery,” she said.
Tour operator Anatolian Sky told Travel Daily it had seen a dip in bookings to Turkey but in recent weeks had seen interest grow.
“During the peak of the demonstrations, I would accept that bookings did slow down slightly, however already since the media coverage has tailed off we are seeing interest picking up again,” said the operator’s managing director Akin Koc, who has recently returned from a trip to meet up with Turkish hoteliers.
“Bookings have already started to improve significantly and I anticipate it will only be a matter of weeks before we see demand back to the same level as last year,” he added.
Koc dismissed Winkle’s claims that Turkey’s tourism and political situation could be compared to Egypt.
“I don’t feel that Turkey can be compared to Egypt and the other regimes of the Middle East, as the protests were aimed towards a democratically-elected government, with a free election due to take place next year. I am confident that as the media’s attention becomes focused on other new stories, interest in travelling to Turkey will return to normal levels and tourists will have no reason not to enjoy their holidays,” he explained.
He added that clients of the tour operator had remained unaffected by the demonstrations, with coastal resorts continuing as usual and those in Istanbul avoiding commercial areas but still visiting the old town and Grand Bazaar.
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