Hotels in Antalya drop their room prices to 10 euros in an effort to attract more local tourists. Professional Hotel Managers Association President Volkan Şimşek says many hotels offer their rooms to guests at such a low price to liven up winter tourism
Antalya hotels have opened their doors to tourists for a mere 10 euros per room as the winter season has made it impossible for them to meet their expectations and many hotels have been forced to close down, the president of a hotel managers association said.
The drop in price sparked discussions among tourism business owners. While some object to decrease, many hoteliers claim that they have to offer discounted prices in order to keep their facilities open, Professional Hotel Managers Association (POYD) President Volkan Şimşek said.
“Compared to the figures of 2006, 2007 ended with an increase. Sometimes we could outdo the figures of 2005 and sometimes we could not. We are expecting an increase in 2008,” Sururi Çorabatır, Mediterranean Tourist Hoteliers Association (AKTOB) president told the Turkish Daily News in an interview.
Commenting on the low cost holiday options, Çorabatır said, “The portfolio and the quality of the customers in summer are different to winter. The hotels therefore need to consider their cost factor. The menu and the staff number is all considered. The number of open hotels varies in different regions. This may lead to price variations on the regional scale. Cost structure plays a big role in low prices reported by the media.”
"Low prices aim to secure customers in winter season and prevent resort closures and layoffs. Trying to attract the domestic tourist with low prices is sure a temporary solution however is it a long term successful and effective marketing promotion," said Özer Saraçoğlu, who underlined the need of new and effective policies to promote tourism and secure sustainability.
Domestic News- Resource:Turkish Daily News
