Seismic activity in the Aegean region in recent weeks has caused a decline in early bookings for Turkish resorts, reports “Hurriyet Daily News“, BTA reported.
Representatives of the tourism industry in Turkey report that earthquakes are already negatively affecting the flow of tourists to resorts along the country's Aegean coast.
Due to the earthquakes, several hotels in the famous Turkish resort of Bodrum have temporarily stopped their advertising campaigns, says the chairman of the Bodrum Hoteliers Association (BODER) Ömer Dengiz. “This period is extremely important for us, as it coincides with the period of early bookings, especially for tourists from Europe,“ he adds. Although there has been no significant drop in bookings compared to last year, Dengiz notes that the negative effect of the earthquakes cannot be ignored and will certainly affect the flow of tourists.
Another hotel owner in the city, Hüseyin Softa, shares Dengiz's concerns, adding that it is unlikely that European tourists will vacation in a place where they do not feel safe. He adds that for him, the most important thing remains the provision of accurate information about seismic activity, which can mitigate the negative effects on the tourism industry.
The earthquakes in the Aegean Sea region have prompted the introduction of additional measures along the Turkish coast, with additional early warning systems in the area and a rapid response plan developed in the event of a cataclysm.