Ethem Okudur, Chairman of Akay Travel Group, has raised concerns over what he describes as “artificial” hotel price increases in Türkiye, warning that current pricing strategies are damaging early booking performance and market perception.
Speaking to Savaş Daş from Tourism Economy, the sister B2B travel portal of Türkiye Travel News, Okudur evaluated developments in the Eastern Europe and Baltic markets as well as the group’s 2026 targets.
“Our 2026 target ıs 850,000 passengers”
Okudur stated that while the Baltic market performed better in 2025 compared to 2024, Eastern Europe experienced contraction. Egypt emerged as the standout competing destination in both regions.
As a destination management company (DMC), Akay Travel Group served 700,000 guests in 2025. “Our 2026 target is 850,000 passengers, including the Aegean region,” he said.
Despite declines in certain markets such as Romania, the group recorded 20% growth in 2025. With new Aegean operations launched in 2026, Okudur expects nearly 25 source markets currently served in Antalya to gradually expand into the region. Early bookings for the Aegean are already exceeding expectations.
“Türkiye ıs neither cheap nor affordable”
Okudur stressed that Türkiye can no longer be considered a cheap destination — nor even as affordable as in the past.
He noted that significant euro-based price increases were unavoidable over the past two years. However, he emphasized that higher-end hotels have been less affected by these increases compared to mid-scale properties, while the share of higher-spending guests has grown.
Türkiye continues to run effective promotional campaigns in Eastern Europe and the Baltics. For 2026, Baltic operators are planning 20% more seat capacity, and early bookings are up 35%. Still, Okudur cautioned that this does not necessarily translate into equivalent overall market growth.
Structural changes in Eastern Europe and the Baltics
According to Okudur, both markets have undergone major structural changes over the past five years. The entry of Turkish tour operators initially led to the closure of smaller national operators. Over time, however, local players began consolidating and forming new alliances to maintain their market presence.
He expects the Baltic market to remain stable in 2026 due to stagnant purchasing power, while Eastern Europe will show mixed results, with some markets contracting and others expanding.
Three key challenges for Türkiye’s tourism
Okudur identified three main issues impacting the sector:
1. Macroeconomic imbalances, particularly the euro exchange rate not reaching desired levels.
2. Shortage of qualified personnel, a lingering effect of the pandemic.
3. A structural decline in early bookings.
While economic volatility and staffing shortages may gradually normalize, Okudur warned that the erosion of early booking culture poses a deeper risk.
Consumers increasingly believe they can secure better deals closer to departure dates. As a result, hotels that fail to meet early booking targets often reduce prices as the season approaches. This creates a domino effect across the market.
“Hotel policies artificially ınflate prices”
Some hotels, unable to meet previous season profit targets, are adding extra margins on top of rising operational costs. This strategy, Ethem Okudur argued, artificially inflates published prices during the early booking period.
When these hotels later lower rates to stimulate demand, they reinforce the perception that waiting until the last minute yields better prices. According to Okudur, this cycle both distorts Türkiye’s price positioning and weakens long-term booking stability
