The stars went out: how will the closure of 174 hotels in Antalya affect Russians?
Turkey is in demand from Russian tourists every year. Therefore, it came as a shock to many to learn that the authorities of Antalya's largest Muratpasha district had sealed 174 hotels, whose management had not fixed the shortcomings in fire safety systems. About what happened to Turkish hotels and whether this will affect Russians' vacations, see the Izvestia article.
Why have hotels in Antalya been sealed?
The Antalya authorities said that before the start of the active holiday season, they checked 294 accommodation facilities and identified deficiencies in fire safety systems in a number of hotels with simplified licenses. In this regard, the municipality gave the hotels 50 days, that is, until May 31, 2025, to eliminate violations and obtain permission from the fire department. At the end of this period, it turned out that not all hotels were able to eliminate the identified shortcomings.
Thus, the licenses of 174 hotels were suspended. They were notified that they were not allowed to receive guests, and the procedure for sealing these facilities began on June 2. In addition, the authorities warned that sanctions would be imposed on hotel owners whose activities had been frozen if they continued to operate.
On May 25, it became known about the closure of more than 4 thousand hotels throughout Turkey that did not receive a tourist facility certificate, although the government's decision on the need for its registration was made back in 2021.
However, as Orhan Sanjar, coordinator of the Pegas Touristik tour operator for the CIS, told RIA Novosti, this is not about a complete closure, but about eliminating the shortcomings identified during inspections. According to him, "the news about 4 thousand sealed hotels" provoked a groundless panic in the tourist market.
Mass inspections of hotels began to be carried out after 79 people died in a fire that occurred in January at the Kartalkaya ski resort. A special commission inspected the hotels for fire safety violations or lack of a license.
How will the closure of hotels in Turkey affect Russian tourists
Turkey has been a leader in popularity among Russian tourists for many years. And after the restrictions imposed by some European countries, the tourist flow to the republic from our country has increased significantly. In 2024, 6.7 million Russian tourists visited Turkish resorts. This year, increased demand is expected — about 7 million people.
Experts are confident that the closure of hotels will not affect the rest of Russians or the tourism industry in Turkey as a whole: there are many high-class hotels in the country, and domestic tour operators work with those who meet safety requirements, undergo timely inspections and certifications.
In this case, we are talking about the closure of small hotels and boarding houses, which are almost not operated by Russian companies.
According to the Association of Tour Operators of Russia (ATOR), with reference to the adviser to the Mayor of Antalya on tourism Osman Ayyk, these facilities previously received permits for their activities from local municipalities, and now they have come under the control of the Ministry. They're not locked up forever.: as soon as the violations are eliminated, work permits will be obtained.
— Our tour operators cooperate only with partners who have passed all the necessary procedures for access to customer service, — emphasized ATOR.
What to do if the hotels are sealed
According to open data, there are about 21,000 hotels operating in Turkey, and the closure of 174 of them is about 0.87% of the total fund, Irina Setun, an expert at the Russian Union of Travel Industry and director of the Satmarket tour operator company, told Izvestia.
— So far, there is no information about the closure of really popular hotels on the Antalya coast. Tourists can exhale. And those who travel through tour operators should be sure that the companies will not leave them alone with the problem. Everything will be resolved with the participation of local authorities and local businesses," the expert explained.
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