Koray Çavdır, Vice President responsible for the Central Europe region at Coral Travel Group, has shared his assessment of the latest developments in the German and wider European travel markets.
Speaking to Turizm Ekonomi, the sister B2B travel portal of Türkiye Travel News, Çavdır evaluated the impact of the Iran conflict on travel demand, booking trends and consumer behaviour across Europe, while also outlining Coral Travel’s outlook for the remainder of the season.
Demand shifts toward safer destinations
According to Çavdır, the conflict involving Iran, the US and Israel has negatively affected tourism demand across Europe, particularly in markets connected to the Eastern Mediterranean and the Middle East.
“We are observing negative effects on overall market dynamics,” he said. “Bookings from Germany have declined, while travel demand across Europe has also slowed. Tourists have become more cautious. There has been a serious weakening in travel linked to the Middle East, and demand has shifted toward destinations perceived as safer.”
Demand for Türkiye, Egypt and Cyprus down up to 50%
Çavdır confirmed that Türkiye, Egypt and Cyprus have all been significantly impacted by the geopolitical uncertainty.
“There has been a decline of between 40% and 50% in demand for these three destinations,” he noted. “As Coral Travel, we are performing slightly better than the overall market thanks to the actions taken by our sales and marketing teams over the last two months, as well as the events we have organised together with our hotel partners.”
He also thanked hotel partners that supported these initiatives during the challenging period.
Türkiye remains competitive despite pricing concerns
Asked whether Türkiye’s pricing image has also contributed to weaker demand, Çavdır acknowledged rising costs but stressed that the destination continues to offer strong value for money.
“Although global energy and food costs have pushed prices higher, Türkiye still delivers a level of service quality above many European competitors,” he said. “Early booking opportunities and a wide range of products for different budgets continue to make Türkiye an attractive destination.”
Security remains a top concern for European travellers
Çavdır believes the current slowdown in the European travel market is closely tied to a “wait-and-see” mindset among consumers.
“According to data from the European Travel Commission, one in five Europeans now considers security the number one holiday criterion,” he explained. “Travellers who believe the conflict could escalate again are not necessarily cancelling travel plans altogether, but they are redirecting demand toward what they perceive as safer destinations.”
He added that the uncertainty is no longer limited to security concerns alone.
“Consumers also want to understand how operational risks such as fuel costs and flight cancellations may affect prices,” he said.
Last-minute demand unlikely to offset losses
Despite ongoing last-minute sales activity, Çavdır does not expect a strong late recovery for Türkiye during the high season or autumn period.
“There is still hesitation among consumers regarding both the peak summer season and autumn travel,” he stated. “Potential demand may create some movement, but it will not be enough to compensate for the season’s losses.”
According to Çavdır, the market is currently dominated by last-minute bookings, but sales depend heavily on proactive commercial action.
“If you take action, you can generate sales. If you do not, you cannot,” he said.
He also pointed to a growing shift toward Western European destinations, as well as increased interest in road-trip holidays, camping, caravanning and large cruise ships.
Coral Travel maintains long-term growth ambitions
While some major tourism groups have revised profitability expectations downward for 2026, Çavdır said Coral Travel remains committed to its broader growth strategy.
“As one of the fastest-growing tour operators in the German market, Coral Travel served 2.4 million European tourists in 2025,” he said. “Thanks to strong performance in the DACH region and Poland, our total guest volume reached 3.8 million.”
Çavdır stated that the company aims to further strengthen its position among Europe’s five largest tour operators in 2026.
“Our ability to operate across 15 source markets differentiates us from competitors and gives us confidence for the future,” he added. “With strong partners, fair price-performance balance and a high-quality service approach, we believe we can maintain efficiency through minor revisions.”
Strong agency network supports expansion
Çavdır also highlighted the importance of long-term partnerships with travel agencies across German-speaking Europe.
“We build trust-based and sustainable relationships with our agencies,” he said. “Today, we cooperate with around 5,800 active agencies in Germany, 500 in Austria and 300 in Switzerland.”
He added that Coral Travel sees strong growth potential in all three markets, noting that operations in Austria have already more than doubled thanks to close cooperation between local teams, agencies and hotel partners.