The tourism sector, which brings foreign currency into the country and directly contributes to the financing of the current account deficit, is in turmoil with claims of 'exorbitant and discounted prices.' Representatives of the sector, who say they have become unable to compete in an inflationary environment, warned that if urgent measures are not taken, the country’s economy could face significant losses. Industry professionals, pointing out that different perceptions are being used to divert attention from the real agenda, evaluated the issue in all its details.
According to Nihat Ak from Ege Telgraf, Mehmet İşler, President of the Aegean Touristic Enterprises and Accommodations Association (ETİK), stated that the major crises such as the pandemic, wars, and economic turmoil have not been overcome. He said, “The world's oldest travel company, Thomas Cook Group, which has been in service since 1841, went bankrupt. The FED collapsed. There is a war between Russia and Ukraine. The problem in Gaza is evident. In the great earthquake, 11 of our provinces were devastated. Our forests are burning furiously. Election economy was implemented as the elections approached. The black hole grew. An inflationary environment exploded after the elections to cover the black hole. In winter, they said, 'Shopping malls and markets are applying exorbitant prices, making a profit.' Now, according to the trend of the day, they say 'restaurant owners and tourism operators are applying exorbitant prices, gouging.' We are not the cause of this high inflation, we are only the result. No one should manage perception. Think of us as the mother of a household. We buy meat and vegetables from the market, cook them, add our profit margin, and serve them. If the goods we buy from outside are expensive, the food we serve becomes expensive. If the goods we buy from outside are reasonably priced, we offer it at a reasonable price. It's as if Türkiye hasn’t gone through major crises, there hasn’t been a budget deficit, inflation hasn’t exploded, and they are burdening the tourism operators.”
"Comparison is wrong"
Emphasizing that it is wrong to compare prices in the Greek islands with those in Türkiye, President İşler said, “Some people who couldn't get visas to other countries went to the Greek islands because of the visa on arrival application. They compared prices there with prices in Türkiye without taking into account transportation, hotel accommodation, and visa fees. They wrote that a drink they consumed in a restaurant there was 400 liras. But no one asked why the purchase price of the same drink in a restaurant in Türkiye is 600 liras! The selling price there is 400, my purchase price here is 600 liras. Greece applies a different tax policy in the islands for its people to live. There, husband and wife work in the kitchen, father and son are waiters, there is no social security, no tax, no special consumption tax, and no high inflation like we have. Our tourism operator will pay taxes, cover personnel expenses, pay music royalties. They will buy more expensively but are expected to sell more cheaply. How will this work? My restaurant and hotelier brother is innocent. There are opportunists, of course, but we shouldn't generalize this.”