Hediye Güral Gür, the Chairman of the Board of NG Hotels, made statements about this year's tourism targets and expectations.
Speaking to Abdullah Karakuş, a writer for Hürriyet, Hediye Güral Gür said, “We had a good summer season last year. This year also started well. Reservations are going nicely. We surpassed last year's targets. The promotional efforts, our country's stable progress are having significant effects. Our Ministry is making significant promotional efforts through the Tourism Development Agency (TGA). Whenever we face a setback, the ministry and TGA intervene.”
“Our share from the global tourism pie is also increasing”
Asserting that the targets for 2024 will be met if everything goes well, Gür said, “Every corner of our country is a paradise of tourism. We have history, culture, nature, faith tourism. We have sand, sea, sun. As NG Group, we offer services in thermal tourism. Health tourism has recently emerged as a prominent type of tourism. As these increase, so does our tourism potential and our share from the global tourism pie. There's a $60 billion revenue target. If all goes well, we believe 2024 will be the year we achieve these targets.”
“Early reservations are good, we can break tourism records”
Gür provided information that early reservations are going well:
“Early reservations are good. We are back to pre-pandemic levels. Especially since November, the international fairs we attended in England and Germany, and the upcoming one in Dubai in May, are our most effective fairs. We see that interest in our country is increasing in other countries as well.
Those who visit once come again. The repeat guest rate in certain facilities in our country is very high. The reason for this is the service they receive in the cities they visit. Our service quality is very good compared to other countries. Our facilities are in great condition. Not to mention our wonderful weather and seas. Besides, efforts to diversify tourism are increasing. The beauty of our highlands, our archaeological sites, all these add to our advantages. Almost everywhere in our country, there are archaeological excavations.
2024 is looking positive. Hopefully, we will break new records. Our sector makes a significant contribution to the economy, especially to the current account deficit. We generate income in foreign currency. As the tourism sector, we believe we make a significant contribution to the economy, and we perform our duties with this awareness.”
“England is a rising market”
Pointing out that alongside Russia and Germany, the English market is a rising one, Gür said, “Diversifying our market is very important for us. Russia and Germany are neck and neck, both around 6 million. England is a rapidly rising market. Our guest numbers from England are increasing every day. In our facilities, we have an increase of up to 150%. According to our Minister's announcement, our expected income per tourist night is to reach $106 in 2024. It was $99 in 2023. These are nice increases per night. If we can attract high-value tourists to our country, it will be an additional benefit for us.”
“Europe knows us well”
Gür noted that Türkiye has surpassed Spain in early reservations in some markets, “In some markets, we have moved ahead of Spain. Europe knows us well. One of the most notable new markets is the USA. The number of tourists from the increased from about 500,000 to 1.4 million last year. Turkish Airlines (THY) is our flag carrier. It has flights to 331 destinations. THY makes special efforts to bring tourists from these locations.