“The middle class will no longer fly”: holidays in Turkey have risen in price by another 30%

ATOR vice-president cited 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, 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 of them, since the role of charter transportation has decreased,” said Taras Kobishchanov. Against the backdrop of a rise in prices for the Turkish Riviera, as the vice president of ATOR believes, Russian tourists will begin to switch to Thailand, the United Arab Emirates and the Maldives.

As MK learned from experts in the tourism industry, last year prices for vacations in Turkey had already increased by about 70% compared to previous years (although this did not stop 5 million 200 thousand Russian vacationers from visiting there). This year there has been an increase of another 30%.

“Indeed, it has become expensive: holidays in Turkey are now catching up with the UAE in price,” Vladimir Hotko, a travel expert living in Alanya, confirmed to MK. – There are many reasons for this: for example, in the Russian Federation there is a problem with aircraft, in Turkey – inflation. It is also hard for Turkish citizens now, consumer ability is at zero, prices are unaffordable… The Turks are discussing 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 out, tourists who rested in three-star hotels. Recreation became impossible for them. But with more affluent tourists who choose “five stars”, there are no problems, and there are many of them. They choose to either stay in expensive hotels or rent apartments. For renting apartments by the sea since last year, the price remains from 700 to 1500 euros per month.

“Yes, hotel prices have risen,” our compatriot Svetlana, who has worked as a manager in a Turkish hotel in Side for many years, confirmed to MK. – Hoteliers are forced to raise prices, primarily for rooms (because the wages of employees need to be increased), for buffet meals, as food prices rise, and so on. Everything rises. 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, “MK” explained the vice-president of the Russian Union of the travel industry Dmitry Gorin:

– Inflation in Turkey last year was 89%, in the current – inflationary processes continue, – commented the expert. – At the same time, as we know, the exchange rate has changed significantly. If last year the euro cost 60 rubles, this year – under 90. Thirdly, aviation kerosene has risen in price, inflationary processes are underway in our country, therefore, air transportation prices are higher.

At the same time, Dmitry Gorin emphasized that 30% of summer tours to Turkey had already been booked, that is, some of the “lucky” tourists managed to buy tours “at the old rate, at early booking promotions with a 30–40% discount.” “And in the current mode, the price level is really very high,” the expert confirmed. – But nevertheless, Turkey remains for the Russians “number one” of all holiday destinations. There was a forecast that up to 7 million of our compatriots will rest in Turkey in the coming season, but in reality it is still difficult to predict how sales will go.”

Gorin also assured that “there is no shortage of transportation.”

– If last year at the peak of the season there were 750 flights a week from Russia, then this year – 1200 flights a week from 18 cities of our country. Flight programs are carried out by 5 Turkish and 11 Russian carriers, that is, the quota is larger, he added.

However, the Turkish side, despite all the unfavorable trends, is optimistic this year as well. 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 upcoming season compared to the past. According to his forecast, 2.5 million Russians will arrive in Alanya alone. And the authorities of another super-popular resort among our citizens – Antalya – are generally tuned to the figure of 7 million of our compatriots.

Meanwhile, in addition to a rise in the cost of holidays, in Turkey, sometimes emergencies happen with our compatriots, which can also kill someone’s desire to fly there on vacation. On April 16, it became known about a wild case with a Muscovite vacationing in a Turkish hotel. As the girl told one of the Telegram channels, she was beaten and poured with boiling water in the hammam by a German – allegedly only because she was Russian. According to her, a German approached her in the hammam during water procedures and started shouting 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 from a bowl in her face, after which he also hit her. The hotel administration, as the victim says, only apologized to her, but did not take any measures against the offender, citing the fact that it was impossible to prove his guilt, since there were no video surveillance cameras in the hammam.

“To be honest, I don’t really believe in this story,” Vladimir Khotko commented to us. – It seems to me that the girl didn’t 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 have been isolated cases of conflicts with the Ukrainians, and then at the beginning of last season. The Turks, of course, are waiting for the Russians, and in 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.