2016 - A difficult season for Turkey

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revdev
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2016 - A difficult season for Turkey

Post by revdev »

Hi all,

As a villa owner here in Turkey, we are looking at a pretty tough year ahead for tourism. Problems here include;

* The refugee problem coming out of Syria, via Turkey and heading for Greece and the EU.
* The Turkish government's problems with Russia/Putin and the fact that zero Russians will be coming to Turkey this year.
* Terrorism outbreaks in Istanbul etc
* President Erdogan's polarising politics and systematic destruction of the tourism sector.
* Domestic issue's with the Kurdish people and the PKK.

Many hotel, villa owners and yacht charter companies are offering pretty crazy deals i.e. stay one week, get 2nd week free!

Ourselves, we are still getting a trickle of bookings for our villas but normally we are flat out with enquiries at this time of year.

Just wondering how any other LMH's in Turkey are getting on out there!?? :D
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Nemo
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Post by Nemo »

Just wanted to send sympathies to you all. I'm sure most of us dread the plight some of these countries are in, the impact on tourism and the feeling that it could be be any of us in your shoes in different circumstances.

Having listed all the bad points, are there are any good points you could post that might reassure anyone out there that was thinking about booking a Turkish holiday? :)
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Mouse
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Post by Mouse »

+1

Revdev I can't imagine how soul destroying it is for holiday rental owners in Turkey. In fact I didn't realise how tough things were until I read your list.

Mousie
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revdev
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Post by revdev »

Thanks Nemo and Mouse :)

Yes, it's going to be a tough year(s?) but us holiday home owners are nothing if not thick-skinned I guess!

Nemo, happy to talk about some positive things :)

The famous Turkish hospitality, the beautiful Med and Aegean, wonderful culture and food, the sailing, value for money (£,$ and Euro go a long way), archaelogical sites, Istanbul, great weather.....

Hmmm, might stay there myself :lol:
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French Cricket
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Post by French Cricket »

I missed this post first time round and gosh, I'm so sorry to hear that things are so difficult for you in Turkey, revdev. I'd come in a heartbeat if I could, as I love the country to bits and I love its people.

Across the water from you I know, but I read an agonised letter a couple of days ago from a teacher who lives on Lesbos (one of my other favourite places) who was talking about how holiday flights are being cancelled now on an almost wholesale basis because of the way the islanders have become involved in welcoming refugees is putting off visitors. It's all very well talking about nominating the island for the Nobel Peace prize, she said, but when more than half its population survives from tourism and there IS no tourism, where does that leave us?
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PW in Polemi
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Post by PW in Polemi »

Oh RevDev, what a tale of woes, and to rub salt in the wound, nothing you can do except grin and bear it, and hope it's all over and back to normal soon.

We're suffering a bit here too, but nothing like those in the Aegean and Turkey.

- many people think Cyprus is one of the Greek islands and they're to be avoided due to the refugee crisis;
- or when they watch the news, as soon as anything about Syria, Libya, Egypt, Israel, Lebanon, Iran or Iraq (or any others I've missed out) comes on, there is a map shown on screen prominently featuring Cyprus then zooming in to the location being discussed. Of course, Cyprus is many miles across the sea from Syria et al and nowhere near any fighting or refugee route, but on a large overview map, it looks very close, and therefore to be avoided;
- the exchange rate means a holiday anywhere in Eurozone will cost UK travellers (our core market) more;
- and of course, there's the uncertainty over Brexit (will it mean job losses/increased cost of living/etc etc).

In addition, 2 or 3 of our regulars have decided that this is the year they will travel further afield - how can they possibly choose New York/Vietnam/Australia over Cyprus??? :shock: :lol:

So, like you RevDev, we still have plenty of availability and few enquiries - the best we had this year was for 3 weeks in the summer (yeaaay!) but with a child well under our minimum specified age of 12. :roll:

We're finding it a very slow start to the booking season, hopefully it will pick up soon. I can't see us getting any last minute bookings either, because of the cost/availability of flights. But no matter how difficult we think it is for us, after reading this thread, it's really put a different perspective on the situation, and shown that there's always somebody in a worse situation.

Good luck, RevDev - at least the weather's good for most of the year! :lol:
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Mouse
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Post by Mouse »

We're finding it a very slow start to the booking season, hopefully it will pick up soon. I can't see us getting any last minute bookings either, because of the cost/availability of flights.
Not wanting to hijack the thread Revdev, but PW has hit the spot about how we owners abroad worry about timings.
This is the same for us. I know that if we don't get certain periods booked by a given time then it's nearly impossible....and it has been a slow start.

I hope things pick up for you Revdev. ..and that those who love Turkey brave it out.

Mouse
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revdev
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Post by revdev »

Well, since my last post we have had the Ankara bombings of course :cry: Just horrific.

I think this season will be a total write-off, with just the local Turkish market maybe being active enough for everyone to at least pay their bills. We'll see.

The large 5* All Inclusive hotels are now offering 30-50% discounts which will really play havoc with the market.
Tourists who may have stayed in self catering villas or 3/4 star hotels previously will gravitate to the 5* with what they see as a value-for-money offering. :roll:
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Casscat
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Post by Casscat »

I was planning on travelling to Turkey in September. I fancied doing a week's gulet cruise, but when I enquired about availability the operator told me they'd cancelled them all due to lack of demand!! Gutted :( The Foreign Office has issued no 'don't travel' warnings for Turkey other than the areas bordering Syria and Iraq, and certainly the 'Turquoise Coast' is no more risky than any other destination with a high concentration of western tourists. I'll keep looking for alternatives but trust me revdev, an all inclusive would not be my first choice regardless of how heavily discounted.
revdev
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Post by revdev »

Casscat, I have many many friends in the yachting industry, so if you need any more contacts for a gulet cruise please just let me know.

One thing is for sure - you'd be able to haggle a very good price! 8)
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Casscat
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Post by Casscat »

Thanks revdev! The sticking point is that I am a solo traveller and single occupancy cabins are rare. If you have any suggestions please let me know :)
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