Hotels in Turkey in 2010 can expect growth in popularity

Hotels in Turkey in 2010 will be able to host much more tourists than in not very successful 2009. According to the forecasts of specialists in the field of tourism, Turkey, along with Egypt will remain two main destinations for tourists from Europe.

It is worth noting that 2009 did not become a time of disappointment for Turkey. Despite the worst in many years phase of the development of the global hotel industry, hotels in Turkey were able to demonstrate a small, but still an increase of profitability. Thus, for the period January-September 2009 the number of overnight stays in hotels in Turkey has increased up to 134 million, and that exceeds the last year’s results by 4%. Such data is provided by the website companiesandmarkets.com.

One of the most important factors of increasing popularity of hotels in Turkey in 2010 will be low prices. Due to the fact that the Turkish pound has considerably weakened against the euro, resorts and hotels in Turkey are winning the war of prices with its European competitors: Greece and Croatia.

In addition to low prices, Turkey has another ace in the hole - Istanbul. In 2010 the city was declared the cultural capital of Europe. Authorities of Istanbul, considering the supposed flow of tourists, expect 10 million visitors, and that can be a record of attendance of the largest city in Turkey in recent history. Occupancy of hotels in Istanbul is expected to be increased by 20%. These figures were announced in a recent interview with Chinese media by the vice-president of the Association of Hoteliers of Turkey Sekim Aydin. Earlier at a press conference dedicated to the new status of Istanbul as the Cultural Capital of the continent, the head of the city administration said that the establishment of new hotels in 2010 will bring Istanbul additional 23 000 beds in hotels.

Among the international hotel chains, which plan to continue their expansion in the hotels market of Turkey, American hotel giant Hitlon can be distinguished. Today, Hilton’s portfolio in Turkey is represented by 15 hotels. In 2010, Hilton plans to present new hotels in Turkey under the brand Doubletree. One of the new hotels of the brand will appear in Istanbul. It is planned to be opened by the middle of this year. The largest hotel operator in Turkey Dedeman will not leave Istanbul without attention as well. New hotel Dedeman Bostanci Istanbul is scheduled to be opened in 2011.