Kaan Kavaloğlu: Antalya's target of 18 million is a bit too optimistic

Kaan Kavaloğlu, President of the Mediterranean Touristic Hoteliers and Operators Association ( AKTOB ), announced that the 18 million visitor target set for Antalya has been revised downward due to the impact of regional crises.

"The 18 million target is a bit too optimistic"

Kaan Kavaloğlu, noting that Antalya had reached 7.5 million visitors as of mid-July, stated that the 18 million visitor target for Antalya had proven to be a bit too optimistic. Kavaloğlu stated that Antalya's visitor numbers this year will likely fall short of last year's 17 million.

The AKTOB President, who understood that the 18 million figure was determined based on the possibility of the Russia-Ukraine war ending, stated that not only is this war not over, but the Israel-Iran tension has also been added to it, and the Palestine-Israel tension continues.

"We expect 5.6 million tourists in two months"

Kavaloğlu explained that Antalya experienced slight declines in the Russian and German markets, while growth was recorded in the UK and Polish markets. He said, "July and August are the two most valuable months of the season. We expect a total of approximately 5.6 million tourists during these two months. If we achieve this target, I believe we will not fall short of last year's figures and will surpass the 17 million target again."

Kavaloğlu noted that the domestic market and Turks living abroad continue to show interest in Antalya, adding that the Russian market still ranks first in Antalya, followed by Germany, the UK, and Poland.

"Our expenses increased, but the exchange rate did not"

AKTOB President Kaan Kavaloğlu stated that hotels are under cost-price pressure due to the fixed exchange rate policy implemented in Türkiye, saying, "Our revenues are in euros, and our expenses are in Turkish lira. Due to inflationary pressures, our expenses have increased, but the exchange rate has not. This has reduced our profitability. Since welfare levels haven't increased in Europe, we can't raise our prices."