The vice-president of ATOR quoted the following figures: if earlier a vacation in Turkey could be spent for 200 thousand rubles, now the rest will cost 300-400 thousand rubles. and more, that is to say almost twice as much. “Most tourists are not used to such prices, they are waiting for last-minute tours, but there will be almost none, since the role of charter transport has diminished,” said Taras Kobishchanov. Against the background of rising prices for the Turkish Riviera, as the vice-president of ATOR believes, Russian tourists will begin to turn to Thailand, the United Arab Emirates and the Maldives.
As The Eastern Herald learned from tourism industry experts, last year prices for holidays in Turkey had already increased by around 70% compared to previous years (although this did not prevent 5 million 200,000 Russian holidaymakers to go there). This year there was an increase of another 30%.
“Indeed, it has become expensive: holidays in Turkey are now catching up with the price of the United Arab Emirates,” confirmed to The Eastern Herald Vladimir Hotko, a travel expert living in Alanya. – There are several reasons for this: for example, in the Russian Federation there is a problem with airplanes, in Turkey – inflation. It is also difficult for Turkish citizens now, the consumption capacity is at zero, the prices are unaffordable… The Turks discuss all these topics and are very worried about the Russians, but they hope that the season will be good. I note that in all major hotels in Belek everything is fine with reservations. That is, as always, the middle class falls, tourists who rested in three-star hotels. Leisure has become impossible for them. But with more affluent tourists choosing “five stars” there are no problems, and there are plenty of them. They choose to stay in expensive hotels or rent apartments. For renting apartments by the sea since last year, the price remains at 700 to 1500 euros per month.
“Yes, hotel prices have gone up,” our compatriot Svetlana, who worked as a manager in a Turkish hotel in Side for many years, confirmed to The Eastern Herald. – Hoteliers are forced to increase prices, mainly for rooms (because employee wages need to be increased), for buffet meals, because food prices are rising, etc. Everything goes up. Judge for yourself: 6 years ago, I bought an apartment here for $47,000, and this year it costs $100,000.
Why this is happening, “The Eastern Herald” explained Deputy Chairman of the Russian Travel Industry Union Dmitry Gorin:
- Inflation in Turkey last year was 89%, in the current – inflationary processes continue, – the expert commented. – At the same time, as is known, the exchange rate has changed a lot. If last year the euro cost 60 rubles, this year – less than 90. Thirdly, the price of kerosene for aviation has increased, inflationary processes are underway in our country, therefore, transport prices aerial are higher.
Photo: en.wikipedia.org
At the same time, Dmitry Gorin pointed out that 30% of summer tours in Turkey have already been booked, that is, some of the “lucky” tourists managed to buy tours “at the old rate , to early booking promotions with a 30-40% discount.” “And in the current mode, the price level is really very high,” confirmed the expert. – But nevertheless, Turkey remains for Russians “number one” of all holiday destinations. It was expected that up to 7 million of our compatriots would rest in Turkey in the coming season, but in reality it is still difficult to predict how sales will turn out.
Gorin also assured that “means of transport are not lacking”.
- If last year, at the height of the season, there were 750 weekly flights from Russia, then this year – 1200 weekly flights from 18 cities of our country. The flight schedules are carried out by 5 Turkish carriers and 11 Russian carriers, that is, the quota is larger, he added.
However, the Turkish side, despite all the unfavorable trends, is also optimistic this year. According to Turkish media, the president of the Alanya Resort Tour Operators Association, Burhan Sili, said that they do not expect a decrease in the flow of Russian tourists in the next season compared to the past. According to his forecast, 2.5 million Russians will arrive in Alanya alone. And the authorities of another popular resort among our citizens – Antalya – usually listen to the figure of 7 million of our compatriots.
Meanwhile, in addition to an increase in the cost of vacations, in Turkey, emergencies sometimes occur among our compatriots, which can also kill someone’s desire to go there on vacation. On April 16, we learned of a wild affair with a Muscovite on vacation in a Turkish hotel. As the girl told one of the Telegram channels, she was beaten and poured boiling water in the steam room by a German – allegedly only because she was Russian. According to her, a German approached her in the steam room during water procedures and began to shout to drive her away – they say that only Turkish women can swim here. Hearing that the girl was from Russia, a German tourist splashed boiling water on her face from a bowl, after which he also beat her. The hotel administration, as the victim says, only apologized to her, but did not take any action against the perpetrator, citing the fact that it was impossible to prove his guilt, because there were no CCTV cameras in the steam room.
“To be honest, I don’t really believe this story,” commented Vladimir Khotko. – It seems to me that the girl did not like something else, and she decided to take revenge on the hotel in this way. As far as I know, during all this time there were isolated cases of conflicts with the Ukrainians, then at the beginning of last season. The Turks, of course, wait for the Russians, and in the hotels they try to maintain a friendly atmosphere for all tourists, regardless of the country. The only thing that has changed is that Turkish hotels have stopped inviting Russian artists, both living in the Russian Federation and those who have left the country, in order to avoid various provocations. Artists now perform in clubs or neutral venues, but not in hotels.
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