Airline ticket prices have skyrocketed

As demand for visa-free countries has increased, airline ticket prices to these destinations have nearly doubled. The rise in visa application rejections for Schengen countries has pushed those looking to travel, especially for vacations, toward visa-free countries. Vacationers who do not want to risk a rejection for a 3-4 day trip have begun to prefer visa-free countries, primarily North Macedonia, Kosovo, Albania, and Egypt. The increased demand has also been reflected in airline ticket prices. As a result, ticket prices for visa-free destinations have reached double those of many destinations within the Schengen area.

LONDON TICKET 2,500 TL, BUDVA TICKET 8,000 TL

Searches for airline tickets conducted by EKONOMİ on online ticket sales sites confirm this result. In our search for December 1, it was possible to find tickets for an average of 2,500 TL to destinations that require a Schengen visa, such as Hamburg, Lyon, and Basel. Tickets can be found for an average of 2,000 TL to Hamburg, 2,600 TL to Dublin, 2,800 TL to Basel, and 3,000 TL to Lyon. It is also possible to find tickets for an average of 2,500 TL to London, the capital of the UK, which is not a Schengen country but still requires a visa. When you search for tickets to visa-free countries for the same date, the price immediately doubles. Budva, one of the favorite vacation spots for middle-to-upper-income vacationers in recent times, immediately stands out with an average ticket price of 8,000 TL. However, other visa-free destinations, while not as expensive as Budva, are still double the price of Schengen destinations. Belgrade and Tbilisi, which stand out as the cheapest destinations at 4,500 TL, are followed by Tirana and Sarajevo with average ticket prices of 5,000 TL each.

DEMAND FOR VISA-FREE TOURS INCREASED BY 34 PERCENT

Tatil Sepeti Chairman of the Board Kaan Karayal said, "The problems experienced with Schengen visas have brought about a serious increase in visa-free tours. According to Tatil Sepeti data, demand for visa-free tours during the past summer months showed a 34 percent increase compared to the same period last year. We are experiencing significant increases in demand for visa-free tours to many locations, including Kosovo, Morocco, Phuket, Pattaya, Bangkok, North Macedonia, Egypt, and Bosnia and Herzegovina." Karayal stated that airlines also see the demand for visa-free countries and pointed out that ticket prices in visa-free countries have increased. Prontotour Chairman of the Board Ali Onaran noted that they sold 3 times more tours to regions like Budva in Montenegro compared to last year, and explained: "Vacationers do not want to pay visa fees for 3-4 days and especially do not want to risk a rejection. Visa-free destinations have become the preferred choice. This has been reflected in airline ticket prices."

LAST-MINUTE TICKET PRICE HAS RISEN TO 400 EUROS

Under normal conditions, the share of the airline ticket in a 1,500 Euro tour is 40 percent. In distant countries, it rises to 60 percent. Ticket prices have risen recently. We buy tickets a year in advance. Last year, we bought 40 tickets to Budva for 200 Euros; when we made last-minute purchases a month before, it used to be 250 Euros, it wouldn't increase much. Now, a last-minute ticket goes up to 400 Euros. There is a two-fold increase."

VISAS FOR 5 PEOPLE IN A 40-PERSON TOUR

Heybilet CEO Samet Koç said, "While our citizens have been experiencing problems with visa applications for a long time, with the opening of the summer season, many people have found the solution in going to countries where they can travel without a visa. However, rising ticket prices due to economic fluctuations worldwide have turned into a new crisis." TÜRSAB President's Chief Advisor Hamit Kuk stated that airline companies do not look at whether a destination requires a visa or not in a highly competitive environment, and sell tickets to popular places at higher prices. Kuk noted that visa-free countries have been in higher demand recently due to visa problems, and for this reason, tickets to visa-free countries are more expensive. Stating that problems regarding visas continue, Kuk said, "Agencies have problems with tours when they cannot get visas. It has reached a point where visas are issued for only 5 people in a 40-person tour. Although some of our agencies try to combine their tours, many tours are also being canceled."