In Van, hotel occupancy rates remained in the 40s during the Nevruz holiday.
Çetin Demirhan, President of the Van Hoteliers and Tourism Association (VANOTED), said that hotel occupancy rates during the Nowruz holiday last year were over 60%, while this year, during the same period, they have fallen to 40%. Demirhan stated that the tension between Iran and Israel has a significant impact: "We cannot rely solely on Iran. Steps need to be taken in this direction. We need to promote tourism in Azerbaijan, Iraq, and Armenia to secure tourists for the region," he said.
The number of tourists coming from neighboring Iran to Van for shopping and public holidays was not reflected in this year's hotel sector. In 2023, the number of Iranian tourists who entered through the Kapıköy border crossing, which is open to Iran, was 600,000, and this number exceeded 720,000 last year. Some Iranian tourists who came to the city to spend the 14-day shopping festival and Nowruz holiday held between March 15 and April 5, after one-day trips or trips to other cities, hotel occupancy rates have fallen compared to last year. Last year, during the Nowruz period, hotel occupancy rates were over 60%, while this year they have fallen to 40%.
VANOTED President Çetin Demirhan stated that the promotion and investments for incoming tourists are insufficient: "Before the pandemic, we had a significant number of Iranian guests coming to Van. But there was a break during the pandemic period. After that, the tourism sector started to lose blood year after year. The most important reason for this is the impact of the tensions between Israel and Iran, especially this year, and the decrease in purchasing power in Iran. If a war breaks out, our region will also be affected. Very large investments have been made in Van related to the tourism sector. But there is a deficiency here. Unfortunately, there are no investments that can sell these hotels. Therefore, it is getting worse year after year," he said.
'TOURISTS SHOULD ALSO COME FROM AZERBAIJAN, IRAQ, AND ARMENIA'
Emphasizing that the hotel sector is one of the main stakeholders of tourism, Demirhan said: "We can add agencies to this. Large sums of money are invested in hotels, but urgent measures are not taken. Not all tourists entering through the Kapıköy border crossing stay in hotels. There are also Iranians who come and go on the same day. Last year, during the Nowruz period, hotel occupancy rates were around 60%, but this year, unfortunately, it did not exceed 40%. Currently, hotel occupancy rates are around 15%. We cannot rely solely on Iran. Steps need to be taken in this direction. We need to promote tourism in Azerbaijan, Iraq, and Armenia to secure tourists for the region. In order for tourism not to lose blood, Van-Tehran and Van-Erbil flights must be launched urgently. There are many historical sites to visit in our city, which has hosted many civilizations. Van should be promoted among the people living in these countries," he said.
Demirhan said that the livelihood of Van was animal husbandry in the past, and now it is tourism, and added: "We should develop tourism more, but the efforts in this direction are not sufficient. In order for Van to become a center of attraction, investments in tourism should be greater. Train services between Tehran and Van started on March 9. But this is a journey that takes about 36 hours. It is being discussed how effective this will be, but flights need to be launched. Not only between Van and Tehran, but also between Van and Erbil. Flights from Van to Istanbul-Ankara and Antalya have also decreased compared to the past. Previously, there were more than 20 flights a day, and now there are 11 flights. This is very bad for tourism. The number of flights in our city should be increased," he said.
