Hotel occupancy rates drop double digit numbers in Turkey: Association

ISTANBUL

DHA Photo

Turkey’s hotel occupancy rates saw double-digit decline in September despite a rise in local tourists during a 9-day Eid holiday, said the Turkish Touristic Hotels and Investors Association (TUROB) in a written statement on Oct. 30. 

Hotel occupancy rates decreased by 12.4 percent to 65.3 percent in September compared to the same month of 2014. As was the case in August, Turkey faced the steepest drop in hotel occupancy rates across Europe, including Russia, according to data compiled by TUROB from STR Global’s September figures. The rates also decreased in Turkey’s most popular tourism destinations, Istanbul and Antalya, added TUROB. 

Room prices also showed a drop, said the data. While average daily room prices (ADR) were 115.1 euros in September 2014, this figure regressed to 111.1 euros in September 2015. The revenue per available room (RevPAR) also decreased from 85.7 euros in September 2014 to 72.5 euros in September 2015.

“The next few years will not be easy for the sector after this year, which is full of uncertainties and concerns. Our 2016 target is not to see lower figures than the 2015 figures. All problems resulting from escalating violence, terror attacks and economic instability need to be resolved in Turkey. Spreading negative perceptions about Turkey abroad also need to be recovered to enable the sector’s revival,” said TUROB President Timur Bayındır. 

The largest hotel occupancy rates were seen in Malta with 91.6 percent in September, followed by Hungary with 89 percent and Ireland with 88.7 percent. Bulgaria and Turkey took place at the bottom of the list with 67.5 percent and 65.3 percent, respectively, according to STR Global data.