'All inclusive' a chance for Turkey

A recent poll, carried out by Öger Tours, reveals that the all-inclusive system is the main reason why German tourists prefer to spend their holiday in Turkey. The result of the poll confirms that a younger generation in Germany sees Turkey as a holiday destination. 'This fact will make Germany an important potential market for Turkish tourism in the long term,' says Öger Tours General Manager Recep Yavuz

ANTALYA - Anatolia News Agency

A recent poll of over 90,000 German tourists to Turkey has revealed that 85 percent chose Turkey as their travel destination because of its �all-inclusive� model, in which a variety of services are included in the price.

�The all-inclusive system is the main reason that German tourists cited for coming to Turkey. Around 85 percent of poll participants gave the same answer to the question �Why do you prefer Turkey?'� said Recep Yavuz, the general manager of Öger Tours, the company that conducted the poll. He added, �Roughly 44 percent of participants mentioned opportunities for children in reply to a question about what Turkish hotels have that is unlike other hotels in the world.�

Noting that the poll results will help create strategies to attract tourists, Yavuz said 55,000 of those surveyed chose Turkey as a holiday destination on more than one occasion. He said hotels in Turkey offer rich activities for children, rooms for families with children, and an �all-inclusive� method of pricing. �This feature makes Turkey different from all countries in the Mediterranean,� he said.

According to poll results, the age of German tourists to Turkey is lower than in past years. Yavuz said this result confirms that a younger generation in Germany now sees Turkey as a holiday destination.

�This fact will make Germany an important potential market for Turkish tourism in the long term,� he said, adding that Germans polled about their experiences in Turkey have consistently cited interesting cultural sites and almost 100 percent satisfaction, demonstrating that Turkey has an important place in the field of cultural tourism.

Hotel and service satisfaction

The poll asked questions about hotel, personnel, and service satisfaction, with around 90 percent of participants expressing their satisfaction. Yavuz said 20 percent of German tourists said they felt at home in Turkey, adding that the all-inclusive system is the main reason participants in the survey listed for coming to Turkey, demonstrating its importance to Turkish tourism.

Yavus argued that, though the all-inclusive system is sometimes criticized, it cannot be abandoned until the industry has found a new and better system to replace it. �It should be discussed how a consistent system can be developed rather than saying �Tourists do not go out,'� he said, adding that the only way Turkey can currently offer natural beauty and comfortable holiday resorts at a very low price is because of the all-inclusive system.

Expectations from the new season

Stating that hoteliers have even higher expectations for growth in the tourism sector this year than in previous years, Yavuz said the Cappadocia and Aegean regions are likely to benefit from a boom in tourism this summer.

He said Europeans have had a chance to become familiar with the İzmir and Aegean regions thanks to the western city's EXPO bid, adding, �This tourism season is better than last year, but we have even more expectations. We foresee that holiday resorts other than just those in Mediterranean Antalya will host more tourists. Europeans are showing greater interest in the Aegean region this year.�

Inform,28.05.08