Following a busy holiday season during Eid al-Adha, the European market experienced a period of stagnation influenced by EURO 2024. Kaan Kavaloğlu President of AKTOB (Mediterranean Association of Touristic Hoteliers and Operators) noted a slowdown in the number of visitors from Germany, the host country of the championship, coming to Türkiye.
However, Kavaloğlu highlighted that the European market has now revived, with hotel occupancy rates in Antalya surpassing 90% as of the second week of July.
Impact of FTI's bankruptcy
Kavaloğlu also mentioned that they managed to mitigate the effects of the bankruptcy of FTI, Europe's third-largest tour operator. "We ensured that tourists with reservations were able to come to Türkiye by coordinating with other operators. Guests who completed their holidays returned to their countries without any issues," he said.
Positive impact of expatriates
Kaan Kavaloğlu emphasized the positive impact of expatriates coming to Türkiye for their holidays on tourism. He provided information that nearly 600,000 European Turks chose Antalya by June. This number is expected to increase, with Kavaloğlu anticipating that 1 million expatriates will visit Antalya this year.
