Turkish tourism: The target for 5 million Russians is attainable this year

Early booking data to Turkey as of mid-January indicate that expectations by Turkish authorities for 5 million tourists from Russia in 2018 may be close to reality, as long as no other factors interfere.

According to market participants, in January 2018, the demand for an early booking campaign for Turkish resorts for the 2018 summer  season is higher than last year's level. This is attributed both to the fact that early booking for the season of 2018 started earlier than usual, as well as that prices are particularly attractive.

"Demand in Moscow and other regions is better than last year," said Marina Makarkova, head of the public relations department of the tour operator Coral Travel. The largest number of inquiries for early booking are for Turkey.

Tour operator "Biblio-Globus" reported a 25% increase in demand for Turkish resorts in the early booking period compared to the same period last year. TUI Russia records a two-fold increase in sales for early booking. Tour operator NTK Intourist reports that the number of bookings for tours with flights to Antalya increased 4-fold and to Marmaris-7-fold, compared to January 2017

Tour operators note that at this stage Turkey is actively booked by residents of Moscow and St. Petersburg, as well as regions such as Yekaterinburg, Kazan, Krasnodar, Rostov-on-Don, Samara, Mineralnye Vody, Chelyabinsk, Ufa and Novosibirsk.

According to them, the duration of bookings package tours to Turkey now already reaches as far as October, and most companies note an increased interest in May and June tours. TUI is already preparing special offers for the beginning of May.

ANTALYA LEADS BUT A DEMAND ON THE AEGEAN COAST IS GROWING

At the early booking stage it is already clear that the preferences of Russians for Turkish resorts have not changed dramatically compared to last season.The Antalya region leads, but a number of companies note an increased interest in the resorts of the Aegean coast of Turkey.

"Alanya now represents about 40% of our sales, Kemer - about 22%, Belek - about 19%. At the same time, there has been a noticeable increase in interest in the resorts of the Aegean coast, "says the head of the public relations department of the tour operator Coral Travel.

The average duration of tours that Russians book in Turkey is 9-12 nights.

PRICES REMAIN AT LAST YEAR'S LEVELS

The high interest of Russians in the early booking of tours to Turkey can be explained largely by the fact that the prices for vacations in Turkey this year generally remained at the level of the previous season, as confirmed by all interviewed tour operators.

The average cost of the tour to Turkey depends on the month and the region. Currently, an ANEX Tour trip from Moscow to a Turkish 5 *hotel per person per week with "ultra all inclusive" meals  will cost approximately 17,000 rubles in May, in June - 23,000 rubles, in August - 25,000-27,000 rubles.

Coral Travel offers a tour including flight tickets on May 13 for 7 nights from Moscow to Sefikbey Hotel 3 * from 13963 rubles per person, in Acar HoteL 4 * - from 16434 rubles per person, to the hotel Catamaran 5 * - from 19380 rubles / person. At TUI Russia the average cost of the tour to Turkey is 350-400 dollars per person and the minimum cost is from $ 175 per person foraccommodation in a 3 * hotel.

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