Europeans booking hotels, apartments for winter in Türkiye

ISTANBUL

Europeans faced with the prospects of a difficult winter due to a looming energy crisis are booking hotels and apartments in Türkiye to spend the cold months here.

The Russian invasion of Ukraine has sent electricity and gas prices skyrocketing while governments are imposing rules to lower energy consumption.

Fearing that the situation may get even worse in the coming months, Europeans are now making plans to avoid further hardship with some of them looking for accommodation in Türkiye.

After Russia cut gas supplies to Europe, people are considering spending the winter in Türkiye, they are already making reservations, said Ferman Ademhan, from the Anatolian Tourism Administrators’ Association (ATİD).

“This winter is likely to be a good season for hoteliers. Europeans and people from the U.K. are renting houses for three months. They will be able to afford a long and nice stay in Türkiye with the money they otherwise would have to spend on electricity and gas bills,” he said, winter months may offer huge opportunities for the tourism industry.

Hoteliers and tourism companies in Türkiye have been discussing the prospects of luring visitors, particularly pensioners, from Europe.

People from the tourism industry are hopeful that this could be the busiest winter season for Türkiye.

Germany, the U.K., the Netherlands, Belgium and Scandinavian countries will be the major markets on the tourism industry’s radar this winter, they said, noting that early reservations are proving their expectations.