A bounty of Iranian tourists during Nowruz...

Hotels in Istanbul and Van will reach high occupancy rates

During the Nowruz period, Iranian tourists will once again flock to Turkey.

Türkiye Otelciler Birliği (TÜROB) President Timur Bayındır said, "In Istanbul, hotels in the Taksim and Sultanahmet areas have high occupancy rates driven by Iranian tourists. In Van, too, the hotels will be completely full."

Turkey, which hosted 2.5 million Iranian tourists in 2017 and has become the number one tourism market in Iran, will once again be the scene of an influx of Iranians throughout the Nowruz holiday, primarily in Istanbul and Van. Offering an assessment of the Iranian tourism market, which becomes more active during the Nowruz period, Türkiye Otelciler Birliği (TÜROB) President Timur Bayındır said that the Nowruz holiday, which began on March 21, stands out as the period when Iranian tourist traffic accelerates the most, and that this traffic will continue to increase this March as well. Recalling that 250,000 Iranian tourists came to Turkey throughout March last year, Bayındır said, "One third of these came to Istanbul, and the rest came to other regions, primarily Van. We expect this number to increase by around 10-15 percent this year." Pointing out that there is once again high demand for Istanbul and Van at present, Bayındır said, "Hotels in the Taksim and Sultanahmet areas of Istanbul will reach high occupancy rates driven by Iranian tourists. In Van, too, almost all of the hotel capacity will be filled. However, there is a contraction in Iranian demand for Antalya and the coastal regions."

Spending of 1,000 dollars per person

Stating that the spending level of Iranian tourists is high, Bayındır noted that the average number of nights stayed by Iranian tourists visiting our country is 6 nights and spending per person is 1,000 dollars. The average spending of foreigners visiting Turkey stands at around 630 dollars. Pointing out that Turkey is among the priority destinations for Iran, Bayındır stated that Istanbul, Van and Antalya in particular are popular, standing out in the shopping, business and holiday segments. Bayındır said that, provided no adverse developments occur that could negatively affect the market, an increase in the number of Iranian tourists is anticipated by the end of the year.

It could increase even further

Offering recommendations for further developing the Iranian tourism market, Bayındır said, "Iran's banking system is not compatible with Turkey. This situation causes fewer tourists than the potential to come from Iran to Turkey. Because credit cards are not used, Iranian tourists are forced to travel with large amounts of cash. As a result, those who come are also able to spend below their potential. A cash card system called DEBIT could be implemented. With this system, Iranians who load money onto DEBIT cards could make their purchases in Turkey with this card. Because the Iranian rial is not a convertible currency outside Iran and credit cards are not used in Iran, Iranian tourists have to purchase their travel in advance. For this reason, they mostly turn to local agencies."

The number of Iranian tourists increased by 50 percent in 2017