South Korean travelers return to Cappadocia

NEVŞEHİR

The number of South Korean tourists visiting Türkiye’s famous Cappadocia has been on the rise again after arrivals from this country slumped in the wake of COVID-19.

This year, some 250,000 South Korean tourists are expected to visit Cappadocia, which is on the UNESCO Cultural Heritage list.

However, arrivals from other Far Eastern countries are yet to bounce back.

Hoteliers in the tourist hot spot have high expectations regarding the Chinese market. They are hoping that Chinese travelers may soon start to visit Cappadocia in groups.

South Korean tourists mostly prefer culture tourism routes. They first arrive in Istanbul then travel to other locations in Türkiye, such as Cappadocia and the ancient city of Ephesus.

“For the time being, South Korea is the most vibrant market among the Asian markets. Arrivals from this country since March have been promising,” Teyfik Ölmez, the head of the Cappadocia Touristic Hoteliers and Operators Association (KAPTİD) told daily Milliyet, noting that the earthquakes which hit the southern provinces in early February affected the tourism activity in Cappadocia.

Visits from South Korea started to pick up in 2022 and this upward trend continues this year, said Ölmez.

Spring and autumn were the high season in Cappadocia in the past year, but now people come to the region in summer months too, he said.

Tourist arrivals from Far East countries have been rising over the years but it was particularly the case with South Korea in the past two years, according to Ömer Tosun, the president of the KAPYAD, another hoteliers’ association in Cappadocia.

Tosun expects more tourist inflows into the region from China, noting that Cappadocia is also popular with Latin American travelers and holidaymakers from North America. He voiced hope that Turkish Airlines’ flights to Mexico could lure more tourists into the region.