Led by Firuz Bağlıkaya, the Association of Turkish Travel Agencies (TÜRSAB) delegation paid a condolence visit to Russia following the terrorist attack in Moscow-Crocus City on March 22, 2024. During the visit, the delegation also held a meeting with representatives of the Association of Turkish Travel Agencies (ATOR).
According to a news in ATOR's bulletin, Bağlıkaya emphasized that product, service, and energy costs in Türkiye have increased several times since 2022 due to inflation. He also explained that the government has long prevented the appreciation of the dollar and the euro against the Turkish Lira, which has put pressure on hotels.
During the meeting, the President of TÜRSAB shared the view that exchange rates in Türkiye would soon become more realistic. In this case, he argued, there would not be a significant increase in the prices of Türkiye holidays in Russia.
Highlighting the flexible pricing policy of the Turkish tourism industry, Bağlıkaya stated, "Last summer, when arrivals from the Russian market declined, hoteliers had already lowered prices by September. Russia is Türkiye's number one market. Germany follows as the second-largest source of tourists. We hope that Russia will maintain its leading position."
Noting that Turkish tourism professionals are cautiously optimistic about the Russian market, Bağlıkaya said that their expectations for this year are 6 million Russian guests.
