Before Deadly Earthquakes, Turkey's Hotel Industry Seemed Quite Healthy
Travelers From Other Countries Step Up as Russia-Ukraine War Limits Tourism From Traditional Markets
Editor's note: Some sources for this story were interviewed before the Feb. 6 earthquakes.
Turkey is reeling after two massive earthquakes hit the region just over a week ago.
The devastating 7.8- and 7.5-magnitude earthquakes that hit southeastern Turkey near Syria on Feb. 6 have killed more than 36,000 people, and the death toll continues to rise.
The earthquakes hit predominantly residential, non-tourist areas of Turkey, but came at a time when the country's hotel industry appeared to be fully recovered from the global pandemic.
Before the earthquakes, the biggest disruptor to Turkey's tourism demand was Russia's February 2022 invasion of Ukraine and the lack of inbound Russian tourists who have historically led the country's international visitor demographics. For some time, Russia was Turkey’s largest feeder market for tourism.
Mehmet Önkal, partner at business advisory BDO Tourism Consultancy Office, said Turkey will continue to attract guests — even if, as a result of the earthquake, hotels do not outperform 2022 levels, which he said were “excellent.”
