Following FTI's bankruptcy, Bentour set up crisis desks in Antalya, Stuttgart, Zurich, and Hamburg. Uğur mentioned that they worked until 10:00 PM that night to reach out to the hotels, proposing: "These guests are your guests. If they cancel now, they will have to pay 20-30% more. In this case, most reservations will be canceled. Therefore, if you agree, we want to take over these reservations under the same conditions and come to a mutual agreement." Initially, around 100 hotels accepted this offer, and Bentour sent the list of these hotels to the agencies.
"Received 5,000 additional reservations the next day"
Following this move, Bentour received an additional 5,000 reservations the next day, according to Uğur. He stated that both the number of hotels and reservations increased over time. Uğur remarked, "That night, the news reported that FTI customers who were left in a difficult situation would not be able to have their holidays at the same price. However, once we published the list, the news turned around and it was stated that 'Holidays can be had at the same price.'"
"Proving Türkiye as a safe tourism destination"
Kadir Uğur explained that FTI customers booked their reservations through Bentour under the same conditions, at the same price, and at the same hotels, while receiving their money back from the bankruptcy trustee. "We option the reservation. They make the necessary payment, and their reservations continue. This development calmed the situation. Now competitors are waking up and trying to do similar things. With our move, we demonstrated to everyone how safe Türkiye is as a tourism country," Uğur added.
"Need for more Turkish tour operators"
Uğur also emphasized that Turkish tourism needs to recognize the value of Turkish tour operators. "During the pandemic, everyone stopped, but we brought 50,000 people to Antalya. We need more Turkish tour operators, and they need to operate properly. We need tour operators who prioritize quality and good service, not those who buy for two and sell for one," he concluded.
