Hotel occupancy rates plunge 32 pct in Istanbul: Association

While hotel occupancy rates decreased by 22 percent to 52.2 percent across Turkey in April compared to the same month of the previous year, the rates decreased by over 30 percent to 50.3 percent in Istanbul, said the Hotel Association of Turkey (TÜROB) in a report, which was based on data from STR Global. The figure represented the highest plunge for Istanbul in the last decade, according to the report. 

TÜROB President Timur Bayındır said the association did not expect any increase in hotel occupancy rates unless security concerns about Turkey are addressed.

“As long as people continue to see Turkey as a risky country and countries continue to issue security warnings for Turkey, we cannot expect any rise in foreign arrivals in our country. The recent problems in the sector are mainly over security concerns. There will be double-digit declines in foreign arrivals over this year, although we cannot make any forecast about the exact rate,” he said. 

The average hotel room prices per night in Istanbul declined from 130.1 euros to 114.8 euros in April compared to the same month in 2015. The revenue per available room (RevPAR) also decreased by 40.1 percent in April to 57.7 euros, compared to the same month of the previous year. 

Hotel occupancy rates in the Mediterranean resort of Antalya increased 0.4 percent in April to 51 percent compared to the same month of 2015. This increase was mainly due to the lower number of opened hotels in the resort compared to the previous years, according to the report. 

Average room prices decreased by 14.3 percent to 57.8 euros in April compared to last year’s figures. The RevPAR figures also declined by 14 percent to 29.5 euros in April from the same time period.