WE PREFER TO “VISIT” ON HOLIDAYS

We prefer “visiting relatives” on our holidays or travels. Based on the data by Turkish Statistical Institute (TSI), primary purpose of trip was “visiting relatives” with 72.1% in the first quarter of 2017. The secondary purpose of trip was “health” with 10% and the third was “travel, leisure, holiday” with 8.5%.

Edit Habif, Lecturer at Tourism and Hotel Management Program, Vocational School of Izmir University of Economics (IUE), reported that visitors stayed mostly at a house of a friend or a relative instead of a hotel/motel, etc. Habif reported, “When we talk about tourism enterprises we need to take enterprises on food-beverages, travel, and recreation into consideration. TSI data reveals that tourists with limited budget prefer to spend money on other tourism enterprises such as food-beverages or transportation, instead of on accommodation enterprises. The first quarter of 2017 includes the months of January, February, and March. This period allows planning long trips for winter semester holiday. In this quarter, trip expenditures of domestic tourists increased by 20% compared to same quarter of previous year.”

Habif indicated that the long holiday period, starting with August 30, Victory Day and the Sacrifice of the Feast Holiday following that, would be a big opportunity for national economy and tourism. Habif stated the following:

“The long holiday period at the end of summer could turn into a major opportunity for the nation’s economy and tourism. Combining these two holidays might allow people to plan for a 10-day travel. This way, the figures in the third quarter might reach or even exceed the figures in the first quarter, and bring an increase in tourism revenues. Natural and cultural attractions in Turkey are a major gain for tourism. This could result in a sustainable tourism that stretches out to 12 months, not seasonal only, and transferred to future generations by utilizing alternative tourism choices.”

Habif pointed that raising tourism awareness and developing correct strategies would be the right move to increase demand, instead of waiting for individuals to engage in touristic activities.