‘15 pct of foreigners stay in houses instead of hotels in Antalya’

ANTALYA

The lack of a correlation between the unprecedented rise in international visitors arriving at the airport and hotel occupancy rates in Antalya stems from 15 percent of foreign tourists opting to stay in lodging utilized for tourism, a sector representative has pointed out.

“Some tourists choose to stay in properties they own or rent. This is a matter of preference. We must respect everyone’s choice,” said Kaan Kavaloğlu, the president of the Mediterranean Touristic Hoteliers’ and Investors’ Association (AKTOB).

They previously had concerns about the lack of legal control over houses that might be classified as vacation homes, he noted. However, the Culture and Tourism Ministry resolved this issue to the tune of 80 percent by passing a law governing the rental of homes for tourism, after consulting with relevant ministries, according to Kavaloğlu.

“Not every traveler visiting our nation is required to spend their vacation in a hotel. This creates a competitive environment,” he pointed out. While families traveling with kids might opt for lodging options, more self-reliant ones may lean toward renting houses, he said.

According to Kavaloğlu, the fact that travelers prefer to spend their vacation in Türkiye is the most significant matter despite their preferences.

He further noted that they will keep competing within the bounds of the law, provided that every business fills their taxes and undergoes inspections.

Kavaloğlu also touched upon the effect of the Greek islands on domestic tourism, another subject that has sparked a lot of discussion this summer.

“According to statistics that was just made public, there were around 225,000 Turks who, up until mid-September, favored the Greek islands or Greece. Thus, 7 to 10 million domestic tourists opt to vacation in their home country,” he said. “From this angle, Greece does not appear to be a rival to us.”