The effects of the Russia-Ukraine war on tourism continue. Industry representatives state that the war will not end in the near future, and the post-war recovery will take time. There is hope for a return to old figures in Turkey's major source markets, but uncertainty is still on the agenda.

The Russia-Ukraine war, which has been ongoing since 2022, continues to create uncertainty in the tourism sector. Sector representatives, who are closely monitoring the developments in Russia and Ukraine, Turkey's largest tourism source markets, evaluated the possible effects of the war and their predictions for the near future to GM.

Veteran Tourism Professional Salih Çene, Innvista Hotels Belek General Manager Erdoğan Turan, Tourism, Brand and Investment Consultant Volkan Şimşek, Experienced Tourism Professional İbrahim Gezer, POYD President Hakan Saatçioğlu, Experienced names in the sector Gürsel Güneş, Alarcha Hotels General Manager Mehmet Eslek, Experienced Tourism Professional Bülent Ağgül, Turquoise Hotel General Manager Hakan Duran, Radisson Blu Kaş General Manager Ümit Tibukoğlu and Cactus Hotels Operations Manager Hayrettin Tiftik spoke to GM microphones.

"It will take time to return to the old level in tourism"

Alarcha Hotels General Manager Mehmet Eslek:

"If the war ends, the flow of tourists will not start immediately. I don't see a sign of it in the near future either, because such situations are shaped by political strategic moves in the world."

"Economic effects are permanent, war psychology continues"

Experienced Tourism Professional Bülent Ağgül:

"I don't believe that Russia will take a step towards a solution. If the war continues, the effects on the number of Russian tourists coming to Turkey will continue, and it will take time to reach the old levels. Economic effects and war psychology keep the contribution to tourism at a low level."

"There may be a solution in the summer months"

Veteran Tourism Professional Salih Çene:

"The possibility of the war ending is high. Looking at Trump's approach, there is no reason for it not to end. I think this problem will be solved within the summer months. The impact of peace on us will be positive for the region. Ukrainians and Russians settled here, they revived the market. With peace, tourism can become more active."

"Psychological recovery will take time"

Innvista Hotels Belek General Manager Erdoğan Turan:

"It is very difficult to give a clear answer to this question. We all want peace, sometimes unexpected events can happen after peace agreements. The end of the war will affect people's psychology. However, the flow of tourism will not start suddenly. Economic recovery and psychological recovery take time. It takes time to reach the potential of the old Ukrainian market."

"A strategic war, it won't end soon"

Experienced names in the sector Gürsel Güneş:

"Such wars are related to the strategies between countries. If it was going to end, it would have been resolved long ago. It is not likely to end in a short time. I believe that tourism will develop if the potential in the sector is managed correctly. However, if the strategies are followed correctly, the future of the sector will be bright."

"Even if it is resolved, recovery will take years"

Turquoise Hotel General Manager Hakan Duran:

"I don't expect the war to be resolved in the near future, even if it is resolved, it is not possible for people to travel immediately. I don't think the war will be resolved in the near future. Even if it is resolved, it will not be possible for people to travel immediately. This process will take a few years."

"The war is based on very deep reasons"

Tourism, Brand and Investment Consultant Volkan Şimşek:

"I don't think the Russia-Ukraine war will end anytime soon because this war is based on very deep reasons and we don't hear most of the negotiations behind it."

"Ukrainians may not be able to move"

Radisson Blu Kaş General Manager Ümit Tibukoğlu:

"I don't expect the Ukraine-Russia War to end in the short term. I don't expect the war to end in the short term. If the war ends, Russian tourists will continue to come, but Ukrainian guests do not seem to be able to move much in the post-war period."

"If the war ends, we can see a 40% increase"

Experienced Tourism Professional İbrahim Gezer:

"The importance of the Russian market for us is very great. Since the late 90s, this market has had an important place. The continuation of the war is a big problem for us. Russians are a market that knows the quality of Turkish tourism very well and they prefer Turkish tourism very much. If the war ends, I think there will be a significant increase in the number of tourists coming to Turkey. This means at least a 40% increase in tourism."

"There is great potential in both markets"

POYD President Hakan Saatçioğlu:

"For us, even the possibility of the war ending and being talked about is an advantage. In the past, we hosted 1,250,000 Ukrainian guests, and last year this number was 300,000. The Russian market is also very important. We once hosted 5,500,000 tourists, and last year this number was 3,900,000. I think there is great potential in both markets. With the end of the war, it will be possible for us to return to the old figures in these markets."

"It didn't affect us much"

Hayrettin Tiftik, Operations Manager of Cactus Hotels:

"The Ukraine-Russia war has been going on since last year, but it hasn't affected us much."