The Association of Turkish Hoteliers’ September ‘Information Meeting and Traditional Luncheon’ was held.

The Association of Turkish Hoteliers’ September ‘Information Meeting and Traditional Luncheon’ was held on Thursday, 29 September, hosted by the Intercontinental Istanbul Hotel.

The luncheon was attended by the Minister of Culture and Tourism of the Republic of Türkiye Mehmet Nuri Ersoy, Istanbul Governor Ali Yerlikaya, Istanbul Deputy Governor Özlem Bozkurt Gevrek, Beyoğlu District Governor Mustafa Demirelli, Beyoğlu Mayor Haydar Ali Yıldız, Istanbul Provincial Director of Culture and Tourism Dr. Coşkun Yılmaz, Intercontinental Istanbul Hotel Chairman of the Board Murat Kassanov, Intercontinental Istanbul Hotel General Manager Fatih Şenuslu, and TÜROB Chairman of the Presidents’ Council Timur Bayındır, among many other public institution administrators, consuls and representatives of foreign missions, presidents and executives of NGOs operating in the sector, TÜROB members, TÜROB Provincial Representatives, guests and members of the press.

In his speech, Istanbul Governor Ali Yerlikaya said: “During the pandemic period, in order to welcome our domestic and foreign guests at our hotels in an atmosphere of trust, health and peace, we launched the Safe Tourism Certification program quickly and practically. We set an example for other countries as well. Due to the coronavirus outbreak, in 2020 we received one-third as many guests as in 2019. We closed 2019 with 15 million, 2020 with 5 million, and 2021 with 9 million thanks to the Safe Tourism Certificate. In the first 8 months, Istanbul reached a figure of 10 million 181 thousand tourists. It looks as if we will reach 16 million, perhaps even exceed it. I celebrate this valuable day, marked by the World Tourism Organization on 27 September, here in our Istanbul, the capital of civilization. In 2020 and 2021 we could not come together, we could not dine; even the creatures in the streets were waiting for us; we lived through difficult days. Life continues very quickly, without compromising its own pace. After every hardship, when one is patient, a beauty arrives. The figures and revenues of world tourism were turned upside down and declined. The government official we will thank, one of our own, in such a difficult environment launched the certification program by consulting very quickly so that we could welcome guests at our hotels with ease, in an atmosphere of peace. With the Safe Tourism Certificate, we set an example for other countries as well. All of our restaurants and hotels are full this year. THY is among the world’s 10 best airlines. We have an Istanbul Airport that will make history; it hosted 34 million passengers in the first 7 months. Galataport was selected the best cruise port; it hosted 148 thousand passengers, and we are heading toward 200 thousand. Tersane Istanbul is on the way. Regarding the recording of these figures related to basic accommodation, our Minister launched a very nice certification. Come, declare, and be relieved; let day-trip accommodation also be declared. Economists say that a 1-unit decline in tourism revenues causes a 2.5-unit decrease in the economy. My dear brothers and sisters, for your contributions and support to the tourism of our Istanbul, for your openness to cooperation and consultation, and for your contribution to the management of the city, I celebrate your World Tourism Day, including our laborers working in the sector, and I greet you all with respect and affection.”

In his speech, Minister of Culture and Tourism Mehmet Nuri Ersoy said: “Dear guests, esteemed stakeholders of the tourism sector, I am greatly pleased to be together with you. Let us recall the start of the year: negative scenarios lay ahead of us, but we turned a deaf ear, determined our road map, and began our work. We carried out the promotion of Türkiye on the digital channels and platforms of 200 countries. We hosted 3,613 people consisting of opinion leaders and influencers in our country. For the past 3 years, with TGA

we have been by far the country conducting the most effective and intensive promotion. We raised our target of 42 million to 47 million. We came one step closer to the targets Türkiye has revised. We aim to raise our revenues, which had fallen to 62 dollars in 2016, to 83 dollars. Antalya, which began the season anxiously, reached maximum efficiency as of July. It hosted 13 million visitors. We carried out our promotions, but the substance behind the promotions had to be filled very well. We pursued product diversity. We undertook special projects. We completed the planned route projects. We brought to life cultural routes, faith routes, the cheese route and gastronomy routes, and made them ready. The restaurant list will be announced on 11 October. Istanbul will take its place in the Michelin guide. Following this, we will also carry out work for our other provinces. While increasing the number of excavations, we also extended the durations of existing excavations. We provide resources for 12 months and ensure that excavation work continues. The Culture Route Festival enables the branding of our cities, facilitates the access of our people, and brings a smile to the faces of our tradespeople. Ahead of us are the Capital, Beyoğlu and Diyarbakır Culture Festivals. Next year, in April, we will hold the Culture Route Festival in Izmir. We will continue next September with Gaziantep and 2 provinces we will determine. In total, we will be holding it in 10 of our provinces. I thank everyone who contributed to our reaching this success. There is no stopping; we will continue on the road. The Safe Tourism Certificate is turning into the Safe and Green Tourism Certificate; sustainability carries great importance today. We will launch it at the end of October. We will complete all the standards. We need to complete the Sustainable Certification program without waiting for the years 2023, 2025 and 2030. If you are not included in this certificate, you will use even loans at a higher cost. These will also be the first criteria a guest coming from abroad will look at in your hotel. Many of our hotels have begun to enter inspection and have begun to receive their stars; all of our hotels need to obtain them. We have made it mandatory for all hotels to obtain the Ministry Classification Certificate. Our Ministry has gained command of the number of accommodation facilities. We will make the necessary arrangements for a swift transition from special certificates to operating certificates. With our qualified tourist revenues, we will take our place in the top ranks.”

In her speech at the meeting, TÜROB President Müberra Eresin noted that the tourism sector, which had made a good start to 2022 and continued its rise thereafter, also closed the summer period with high occupancy rates. Eresin said: “July and August were very busy. In September too the graphs were up. Both in August and over the eight-month period, Istanbul’s average occupancy and revenue per room continue to run above the average of European destinations.”

Noting that they foresee similar figures continuing in the final quarter of the year, Eresin said: “We hope that this upward trend will carry the sector, over 2022 as a whole, above the levels of 2019, that is, the pre-pandemic period. If everything continues this way in 2023, Türkiye will start the year very fortunately in tourism. As in past years, we have begun to take reservations for the following year, for 2023. We hope to reap the reward of our sacrifices during the pandemic period very brilliantly in 2023,” she said.

We are about to surpass 2019

Providing information on current occupancy rates and room prices, Eresin said the following:

· Hotel occupancy in Istanbul in August 2022 was 87.5 percent. When we look at August 2019, this rate had been 86.7 percent. As I noted earlier, we naturally compare the 2022 figures with our 2019 figures; when making comparisons with the past, we do not take into account 2020 and 2021, which we regard as lost years for tourism. When we look at the first 8 months of this year, occupancy in Istanbul was 72.7 percent. In the first 8 months of 2019, this rate had been 73.3 percent.

· As can be seen, on a monthly basis we are above 2019 in occupancy in Istanbul, and as of the first 8-month period we are about to catch up with 2019; I think by the end of September we will have the opportunity to share this good news with you too.

· Hotel occupancy across Türkiye in August 2022 was 79.5 percent. When we look at August 2019, this rate had been 78.8 percent. Over the 8 months, occupancy across Türkiye was 65.4 percent; in the first 8 months of 2019 this rate had been 66.9 percent.

· What is truly gratifying is that the rise in our room prices and room revenues continues. In Istanbul, our daily room rate sold, referred to as the ADR (Average Daily Rate), was 168.2 Euros in August 2022. In 2019 this figure had been 105.8 Euros. Revenues obtained per room over the total number of rooms (RevPAR) were measured at 147.1 Euros in August 2022. This figure had been 91.7 Euros in 2019.

· Across Türkiye, our daily room rate sold was 164.5 Euros in August 2022. In 2019 this figure had been 103.5 Euros. Revenues obtained per room over the total number of rooms were measured at 130.8 Euros in August 2022. This figure had been 90.9 Euros in 2019.

· Across Türkiye in the January–August period, our daily room rate sold was 113.6 Euros in 2022. This figure had been 78.7 Euros in 2019. Over the 8 months, revenues obtained per room over the total number of rooms were measured at 74.4 Euros in 2022. This figure had been 52.6 Euros in 2019.

Success is no coincidence

Touching also on the festivals organized by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, Eresin noted that they have seen the positive effects of the spread across the entire country of the Culture Route Festivals—first held under the name Beyoğlu Culture Route and later expanded with the Capital Culture Route—and that these effects will increase even further. Eresin said: “The spirit of the festivals, which this year spread to 5 provinces under the name ‘Türkiye Culture Route,’ will remain permanent for many years and will transform our cities into distinctive centers of attraction. The emergence of positive graphs in our tourism sector is gratifying, but when we consider the work that has been done, these successes are no coincidence. We believe that, following the results-oriented promotion and marketing work carried out by our Ministry of Culture and Tourism and the Turkey Tourism Promotion and Development Agency (TGA), the tourism sector will reach its targets and continue to provide strong support to the country’s economy, employment and development. We thank all those who contributed to this valuable, results-oriented work, first and foremost our esteemed Minister of Culture and Tourism Mehmet Nuri Ersoy.”

Education support continues

Recalling TÜROB’s work in the field of education, Eresin continued as follows: “Following the agreement reached with our Ministry of National Education, the process of changing the name of the Şişli Kervansaray Vocational and Technical Anatolian High School to ‘TÜROB 50th Anniversary Şişli Tourism Vocational High School’ has been completed. Renovation and refurbishment work also began at our school recently. With its total of 21 classrooms, we are sustaining—with the support of the Ministry of National Education—the administrative and technical infrastructure so that students are trained entirely according to the human resources we need. The contributions we will make to training the qualified manpower the sector needs already excite us, and we also thank, first and foremost our Minister of National Education, our TÜROB members, Istanbul Provincial Director of National Education Levent Yazıcı and his valuable team, Şişli Mayor Muammer Keskin for his valuable support regarding the landscaping of our school, and Istanbul Chamber of Commerce President Şekib Avdagiç for meeting the general needs of the school, for the contributions they have made to this project.”