The President of the Van Hoteliers and Tourism Association (VANOTED), Çetin Demirhan, said that last year the hotel occupancy rate during the Nowruz holiday was over 60%, while this year it has decreased to 40% during the same period. Demirhan said that the tension between Iran and Israel has a big impact: “We cannot rely only on Iran. Action should be taken in this direction. We need to promote in Azerbaijan, Iraq and Armenia to secure tourists in the region,” he said.

The number of tourists coming from neighboring Iran to Van for shopping and spending state holidays was not reflected in the hotel sector this year. In 2023, the number of Iranian tourists who entered through the Kapıköy border gate opened to Iran was 600 thousand, and last year this number exceeded 720 thousand. Some of the 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, the hotel occupancy rate decreased compared to last year. Last year, the hotel occupancy rate was over 60% during the Nowruz period, while this year it dropped to 40%.

VANOTED President Çetin Demirhan stated that the promotion and investments for incoming tourists are insufficient: “Before the pandemic, quite a lot of Iranian guests came to us in Van. But there was a break during the pandemic period. Then the tourism sector started to lose blood year by 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 lack here. Unfortunately, there are no investments that can sell these hotels. That's why it's getting worse year by 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 gate stay in hotels. There are also Iranians who come and go on the same day. Last year, the hotel occupancy rate was around 60% during the Nowruz period, but this year, unfortunately, it did not exceed 40%. Currently, the hotel occupancy rate is around 15%. We cannot rely only on Iran. Action should be taken in this direction. We need to promote in Azerbaijan, Iraq and Armenia to secure tourists in the region. In order for tourism not to lose blood, Van-Tehran and Van-Erbil flights must be launched. There are many historical places to visit in our city, which has hosted many civilizations. Van should be promoted among people living in these countries,” he said.

Demirhan said that Van's livelihood 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 enough. 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 it's 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, but now there are 11 flights. This is very bad for tourism. The number of flights in our city should be increased," he said.