Rising costs in the tourism sector continue to create pressure on pricing and profitability. In his assessment to Bloomberg HT, Gürok Tourism Group General Director Tunç Batum stated that costs in TL terms increased by 30 percent in the first nine months of the year, but this increase could not be reflected in prices to the same extent.
Emphasizing that price increases in foreign currency terms remained limited, Batum said, "We consider it a good outcome to be able to implement a 5-10 percent price hike in dollar terms" for the sector. However, he noted that Turkey is starting to appear expensive compared to competitor destinations such as Spain and Italy.
PRICE ADVANTAGE IS WEAKENING
Stating that tour operators are keeping their distance from new price hikes, Batum assessed, "Tour operators are not accepting new price increases. Because we have started to become more expensive compared to countries like Spain and Italy in Europe." Batum also expressed that he does not find it right to resort to price discounts to gain market share.
Turkey's tourism revenue in the third quarter of 2026 increased by 5 percent compared to the same period last year, reaching 25 billion 526 million dollars. While the average nightly expenditure of visitors was 107 dollars, a third-quarter record was broken in tourism revenues. However, in the same period, the number of visitors decreased by 1.6 percent to 23 million 255 thousand 7 people.
According to Batum, the increase in revenues does not mean an improvement in the sector's profitability to the same extent. Stating that there is an erosion in foreign currency revenues, Batum said, "The increase in revenues should not be interpreted as an increase in profitability. There is a serious erosion in income due to foreign exchange. It is not possible to return to old profit margins."
Stating that the decline in the number of visitors may continue in the last quarter of the year, Batum noted that even if an increase in revenue is seen, there may be a drop in the number of tourists. Reporting a 5 percent decrease in the number of tourists arriving in Antalya, Batum noted that there has been a serious decline, particularly in the UK and German markets.
News Source: 12punto
