Turkey beat Spain as Number One Spot for Tourism in the Med 2021 - here's why!
The Easter Break has now come and gone, Spring is well underway and the Summer season is fast approaching which means that tourists will soon start arriving onto the shores of Turkey. It’s going to be extra busy this year, given it’s the first time in around two years that people have felt more comfortable going away with the decrease in restrictions, and early predictions suggest that Turkey will achieve record numbers in 2022.
Already receiving a decent return in the last few months of 2021, and with renewed investment in the tourist sector through an increase in marketing campaigns, Turkey has set a goal of attracting 50m tourists by 2023, which should achieve revenues of around $50bn. Of course, Turkey has always had a lot going for it, such as the Historical sites, the open air museums, the beaches and the natural landscape but the massive increase in ‘Health Tourism’ will also contribute strongly to the target. Health Tourism (which covers treatments such as hair transplants, organ transplants, and plastic surgery) already generates over $1bn annually, and it’s the fastest growing sector in Turkey.
Did you know?
In the last few months of 2021, Turkey became so popular it was named as the Number One spot for Tourism in the Mediterranean, beating Spain by 152,000 visitors. There was an 88% rise in numbers during the last 10 months of 2021 and tourism income increased by 29.19%.
Due to a successful worldwide vaccine programme and a much better understanding of Covid, it means that the much loved Cruise Industry can also kick off again in 2022, further contributing to tourist numbers. The industry has always been especially significant for Turkey, usually bringing around 2m passengers annually to it’s shores, with over 1600 ships docking. This year, although not as high as previous seasons, could still see around 1.5m arriving, generating a revenue of around $1bn. This revenue will also go some way to re-paying the $1.8n that was spent on the new Galataport, that was opened in April 2021.
Back in January of this year, the airline Sun Express also confirmed that they would have new routes operating to Turkey from five UK airports which would include Manchester, Gatwick, Birmingham, Edinburgh and Luton. The routes will head to Antalya, Dalaman, Izmir, Ankara and Gaziantep, with seven direct flights every week. Last week, also saw the first plane load of British Tourists arrive in Bodrum, all of whom were delighted to be back and were warmly greeted at the airport with gifts of sweet treats and folk dancing! British Tourists have always been attracted to Turkey, with numbers usually hitting over 2m, especially pre-pandemic.
Increased visitor numbers are always a positive, not only for the local economy, but also for those who have chosen to buy a holiday home here and rent it out during the busy months. It can mean an increase in the number of weeks booked, but it can also mean a higher yield as owners look to capitalise on increased demand. If you too would like to own a holiday home in Turkey, or indeed a permanent home in Turkey, then please do get in contact with Turkish Connextions – we’d love to help you on your journey!
Our thanks to AIPP member agent, Turkish Connextions for this article.
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