The Turkish tourism sector is reporting a serious drop in the number of visitors to the coastal resorts of the provinces of Izmir, Mugla and Aydin. The main reasons for the drop are the sharp increase in prices and the increased frequency of earthquakes in the Aegean region, reports the Türkiye Today website, reports News.bg.
According to calculations by the economic portal Ekonomim, the cost of a family of four vacations has increased from an average of 110,000 Turkish liras (about 4,800 leva) last year to about 170,000 liras (about 7,400 leva) this year. Depending on the choice of transportation and accommodation, the increase varies between 30% and 100%.
Data from the Turkish Statistical Institute (TÜİK) show that inflation in the restaurant and hotel sectors reached 36.91% in May. Although it marked a decrease compared to previous years, it remains above the average inflation in the country of 35.41% for the same month.
Amidst the economic challenges, the Aegean region is also suffering from increased seismic activity. In recent months, tremors with a magnitude of between 4 and 6 have been frequently recorded. Just last week, a 5.8-magnitude earthquake was felt in the Marmaris region, killing a young girl and injuring 69 people, Türkiye Today recalls.
Further tension in the sector is also being caused by measures to increase safety: over 1,800 hotels in Turkey have been closed due to non-compliance with fire safety standards. This happened after large-scale inspections provoked by a tragedy at the “Grand Kartal“ hotel in the Kartalkaya ski resort, in which 78 people died.
Despite the difficulties, Turkey recorded 3.9 million foreign tourists in April - an increase of 8% compared to the same month last year. For the first quarter of 2025 However, there was an overall 5% decline in the number of foreign visitors - 6.6 million compared to the same period in 2024.
According to the Turkish Ministry of Culture and Tourism, the largest number of tourists came from Iran, followed by Russia, Germany, Bulgaria and the United Kingdom.
Aslan Tan, a representative of the Association of Travel Agencies (TURSAB), emphasizes that the Aegean region is experiencing one of the most difficult seasons ever. In addition to high prices and earthquakes, he also notes the lack of a national strategy for the sustainable development of the sector:
“Turkey is a country where earthquakes and natural disasters often occur. Businesses need to take this issue seriously - this can only be done by preparing a national strategy“, says Tan.