The tourism industry in Turkey is facing a significant challenge as many hotels remain empty, while tourists from Turkey are flocking to Greece.
As of April 1, 2024, Turkey introduced new changes that allow its citizens to travel directly to ten Greek islands for a single-entry express visa within seven days. This policy shift has reportedly led to an increase in Turkish tourists visiting Greece.
According to reports, many Turkish resort rooms have remained empty, causing concern within the Turkish tourism sector. In the initial ten-day period of April, popular islands such as Lesvos, Chios, Samos, Kos, and Rhodes were visited by 20,690 Turkish tourists.
Hoteliers in Turkey, including those in Bodrum, have been forced to slash prices by up to 50 percent for the latter half of July and the first couple of weeks of August in an effort to attract visitors. This is due to a decrease in tourist numbers, which has caused resorts in Turkey to struggle.
The Chairman of the TURSAB Regional Representation Board, Demir, said that hoteliers are desperate and have been forced to reduce prices to avoid empty rooms and layoffs. He explained that with fixed costs such as electricity, personnel, and hotel rents being constant, while other costs such as food, beverage, and cleaning are variable, hoteliers had to make discounts to ensure that at least the rooms would not remain empty and they could pay their staff.
In 2023, Greece welcomed approximately 33 million tourists, which is an increase of about five million compared to the previous year, making Greece the 10th most visited country globally.
Athens, the capital of Greece, attracted more than seven million visitors in 2023, and industry forecasters expect this number to increase by 20% in the coming year. While this jump in tourism is a welcome boost for the economy of Greece, it has also incited a critical housing crisis in Athens and added pressure on local resources.
Moreover, shop shutters throughout Athens are becoming canvases for anti-tourism sentiments, with graffiti that reads “No more tourism”.
Source: WalesOnline
