Turkey's tourism industry eyes rebound after grim year

ISTANBUL－Following a 2020 marked by the COVID-19 pandemic, Turkey's tourism industry is anticipating better results this year amid a vaccination rollout. But a return to pre-pandemic levels remains elusive for now, industry insiders say.

The number of foreigners visiting Turkey stood at 12.7 million in 2020, dropping by 71.7 percent from the previous year. This was mainly because of global travel restrictions and lockdowns, the country's Culture and Tourism Ministry announced recently.

Meanwhile, the Turkish Statistical Institute revealed that Turkey's tourism revenues slipped by 65.1 percent year-on-year to $12.6 billion dollars last year.

In 2019, Turkey's tourism revenue hit a record high of $34.5 billion with more than 45 million foreign visitors. The southern Mediterranean province of Antalya alone, with its beaches and archaeological sites, welcomed nearly 15 million tourists.

After the COVID-19 crisis erupted, the ministry ushered in measures to withstand the effects of the pandemic.

Ongoing vaccination drives are encouraging industry professionals.

"Turkey's vaccination program is giving us hope, and our morale is higher than last year. We believe that the vaccine will bring up tourism from the bottom rapidly," said Volkan Yorulmaz, a board member of the Professional Hotel Managers Association of Turkey. "We now have the experience to deal with this pandemic, and we learned from it and perfected our game," Yorulmaz said.

Turkey has launched in mid-January a mass inoculation rollout with China's vaccine. More than 7 million people, mostly health professionals and the elderly, have been vaccinated so far, according to official data.

"We have asked authorities to include tourism sector workers into the inoculation drive before the season starts, in mid-April, to alleviate any concerns that foreign visitors may have regarding Turkey," Yorulmaz said.

Tourism is a strategic asset for Turkey as it brings in foreign currency that helps to decrease the growing current account deficit, one of the economy's weakest points. Tourism revenues account for up to 12 percent of the Turkish economy.

Serkan Kaya, a travel agency manager in Cappadocia, a hot spot for foreign visitors located in central Anatolia, said reservations are gradually increasing. "We have lots of people calling us every day from European and Asian countries asking us the situation in Cappadocia, and we tell them that it is safe here."

Foreseeing more tourist arrivals this year with the expected easing of travel restrictions, Kaya believes 2021 will be a "transition year".

"I think that global and domestic tourism will be healed only in 2022 when a considerable number of people and thus potential tourists will be inoculated," he noted.

Cappadocia, known for its rock formations, history and hot-air balloon trips, is a location preferred by Chinese tourists. Because of travel restrictions, they deserted the spot in 2020.

Turkey's Culture and Tourism Minister Mehmet Nuri Ersoy said the country is targeting a minimum 100 percent increase for 2021, which means more than 25 million tourists.

According to Yorulmaz, Turkey may only see the same record revenues and visitor numbers after at least two years, and the "recuperation process" will take time.

Xinhua