In Russia, tour operators are reporting a significant increase in early booking volumes for Türkiye this year. According to a bulletin released by the Association of Tour Operators of Russia (ATOR), prices in rubles for the summer months in Türkiye have generally increased compared to last year, but this increase is less than the increase in euros, and many Turkish hotel operators have lowered their prices in euros. Early booking sales for Türkiye tours for the summer of 2024 have increased by 60% compared to the previous year.
According to ATOR, compared to the previous year, early booking sales for Türkiye saw an increase of 50% for FUN&SUN, 20% for TEZ Tour, 98% for PEGAS Touristik, and 350% for Intourist.
ANEX announced that with an early booking campaign for the summer season, there are now "much more" reservations for Türkiye tours. Coral Travel also confirmed that early bookings in Türkiye exceeded last year's levels. However, experts say it is too early to declare the season successful, noting that 80-90% of tours need to be sold to make such a statement.
Turkish hoteliers lower prices
PEGAS Touristik announced that the extent of the discount applied by hotels in Türkiye varies greatly depending on the accommodation facility, and the cost of staying during summer holidays can vary from 5% to 57%.
Due to the demand from the Russian market not meeting expectations, some hoteliers have taken last year's experience into account to a certain extent; some did not increase their prices in euros for tour operators, some reduced them, and some increased them by a very small amount.
TEZ Tour reported a 10% drop in hotel prices, while Coral Travel, Intourist, FUN&SUN, and ANEX noted a decrease of 18-20%.
Intourist and TEZ Tour also highlighted that the main discounts in foreign currency rates came from some 5-star hotels, while such dynamics were almost never seen in the middle and economy segments.
Some airlines also offer discounts
It is also mentioned that some airline companies have offered discounts on flights to Türkiye. TEZ Tour stated that the cost of air transportation in euros has dropped by an average of 20% compared to the same period last year, while PEGAS Touristik reported that ticket prices remained at last year's levels.
"Even with a drop in Euros, not in Rubles"
Russian tour operators state that despite a 10% to 20% drop in prices in euros, prices in rubles will still be higher than last year.
Coral Travel announced a 7% increase in package holiday prices to beach hotels in Türkiye, while TEZ Tour reported an increase of 5-8%.
ANEX mentioned a decrease in prices in rubles for early bookings, but emphasized that every Turkish hotel has its own pricing policy for the Russian market. ANEX stated, "This year, all hotels in Türkiye have very different pricing approaches."
According to the ATOR bulletin, almost all Turkish hotels have lowered their prices in euros. However, it is impossible to talk about a "complete discount" in prices for Türkiye this year.
TEZ Tour shared that the number of Turkish hotels with reduced prices in rubles compared to last year does not exceed 20% of the total number of hotels in the company's Türkiye product range.
PEGAS Touristik, reminding that some hotels in Türkiye have increased their prices in euros, said they do not expect a "significant" decrease in ruble prices across Türkiye.
Intourist emphasized that the amount of rubles Russian tourists will pay for early booking tours to Türkiye will only become clear after the season starts.
Early booking reriod prices for tours to Türkiye
Statistics from tour operators indicate that there has not been a significant change in Russian consumer preferences for the 2024 summer tours to Türkiye compared to the previous year.
Approximately 89-97% of summer tours are reserved for holiday destinations in Antalya, but this year nearly all tour operators reported a slight increase in reservations for Türkiye's Aegean coast during early sales.
According to collective data from tour operators, the average duration of tours reserved to Türkiye for the summer of 2024 is 10 nights. FUN&SUN, Anex, and Coral Travel mentioned that this year more tourists will bring their children along, with the number of people applying for a Türkiye tour in the summer months averaging 2.7 people as of February.
According to tour operators, the average price of a tour to Türkiye for the 2024 summer season is currently between 102,000 to 122,000 rubles per person (for 10-12 day tours).
When Will Sales for Early Booking Campaigns in Türkiye Peak? The majority of Russian tourists finalize their plans towards the end of the early booking period, considered to be the end of March.
Tour operators expect sales for the early booking campaign in Türkiye to peak in March. Intourist mentions that during the more profitable phase of the campaign, tourists actively book the most popular hotel and room categories.
Tourists mostly purchase tours to popular 5 and 4-star hotels through early booking. As of the beginning of February, 70% to 86% of the tour sales to Türkiye for the summer season from tour operators consisted of 5-star hotels.
FUN&SUN highlights that as the season start approaches, tourists begin to reserve budget segment 3-star hotels.
Tour operators consider the possibility of Russian tourists opting for "last-minute tours" to Türkiye to be low. Therefore, Intourist notes that despite the high volume of air transport to Türkiye from the second half of last year leading to airlines starting dumping, adjustments were made to the programs at the end of 2023 and beginning of 2024, preventing such a situation.