Regional problems hit Turkey’s touristic hotels

ISTANBUL - Anadolu Agency

Turkey had the second-lowest hotel occupancy rate in Europe in October, ahead only of Israel.

Conflicts in neighboring countries as well as domestic issues have had a negative impact on hotel reservations in Turkey, the Turkish Touristic Hotels and Investors Association (TUROB) said in a written statement Nov. 23.

“Conflicts in the Middle East and social unrest across Turkey negatively affect the Turkish tourism sector. Specifically, the Kobane protests in October cost more than 13 million euros to the sector, as revealed by the STR Global October 2014 Report,” said the statement.

Turkey had the second-lowest hotel occupancy rate in Europe at 63.8 percent in October, ahead of only Israel, according to the STR Global report.

Malta topped the list of highest hotel occupancy rates in Europe with 89.6 percent last month.

Occupancy rates reached 67.6 percent in Istanbul’s hotels in October, a 0.6 percent increase over the same month in 2013. However, occupancy rates in the city’s hotels in the first 10 months of 2014 decreased to 65.8 percent, from 67.8 percent over the same period last year.

Hotel occupancy rates in the Mediterranean city of Antalya decreased to 59.1 percent in October, a 6.5 percent fall from the same month of the previous year. However, the average room price had increased in Antalya significantly.