Hotel occupancy rates, prices rise in July

ISTANBUL

Occupancy rates and room fares at the country’s hotels increased in July, driven by the rebound in tourism activity, the Hotel Association of Türkiye (TÜROB) has stated.

The occupancy rate increased from 66.1 percent in July last year to 71.3 percent. In July 2019, when the COVID-19 pandemic had not yet hit the global travel and tourism industries, the occupancy rate at Turkish hotels was 75.6 percent.

The occupancy rate in Istanbul’s hotels rose from 69.6 percent in July 2021 to 80 percent, whereas the rate was 81.7 percent two years ago in the same month. From January to July, the hotel occupancy rate in the city was 70 percent.

In the first seven months of the year, more than 8.5 million tourists visited Istanbul. In the whole of 2021, the city welcomed 9 million tourists.

In Antalya, one of the country’s major holiday destinations, the hotel occupancy rate increased by 4.8 percent on an annual basis to 74.1 percent, whereas the rate rose by 38 percent year-on-year to 59.8 percent in the January-July period.

However, TÜROB said the occupancy rate at the hotels located in Anatolian provinces fell by 5.6 percent in July from a year ago to 53.7 percent, while in the first seven months of the year, the occupancy rate at those hotels climbed 28 percent to 51.2 percent.

Hotel occupancy rate across the country was up 55.4 percent in January-July from the same period of 2021 to 63.3 percent.

TÜROB also said that the average room fare rose as much as 35 percent from a year ago 158 euros. “The increase was due largely to the fact that hotels which provided information on prices in the survey are in the upper segment and price increase in main tourist destinations such as Antalya, Bodrum and Istanbul led to an increase in average fares.”

Average room prices showed an annual increase of 33 percent to 104 euros.

The upward trend in occupancy rates is likely to continue throughout 2022, commented Müberra Eresin, the chair of TÜROB.

“We think August will be one of the best months. The outlook is also promising for Istanbul in September. As school season starts across the world, we will receive mostly people who travel for cultural tourism,” Eresin said.

Even though interest from the Middle Eastern countries will continue, visitors will be mostly Europeans in September, Eresin said, adding they expect a significant increase in the number of tourists from other markets, such as Russia, Iran, the U.K., the Balkan nations, Latin America, the U.S. and Azerbaijan.

In the first seven months of this year, more than 23 million foreign tourists visited Türkiye, marking a 128 percent increase from the same period of 2021. In July, foreign tourist arrivals rose by 53 percent year-on-year to 6.7 million people.