Tour Operator CEOs Say Turkey Is Coming Back to Take the Strain Off Spain
Photo Credit: TUI Group's Magic Life Jacaranda resort in the Antalya region of Turkey. The tour operator has seen an upturn in fortunes for the country. TUI Group
Skift Take
Tour operators have longed for Turkey and, to a lesser extent, Egypt and Tunisia to return to their previous popularity. All of these destinations offer better value to consumers than Spain, which is at close-to-full capacity and more expensive. Their return is also good news for the people who rely on tourism for a living.
“Spain is full” has been a familiar refrain from European travel bosses for the last year or so.
The Mediterranean destination has long been popular, especially with sun-starved Northern Europeans, but recently its historic cities and sandy beaches have pulled in even more tourists.
The UNWTO’s latest tourism report revealed that in 2016 Spain saw its international arrivals increase by 10.3 percent to 75.6 million.
While Spain might be trending upward (as indeed are the likes of Cyprus and Portugal) other destinations popular with European vacationers found it much, much tougher.
In 2016, Turkey reported a 30 percent drop in foreign arrivals, Egypt’s international tourist number declined by 43 percent, and although Tunisia saw a 6.8 percent rise, the figure i
