CHP's Gülşah Deniz Atalar: 'Tourism Data is Being Polished, Facts are Being Hidden'

Tourism data is promising, but the picture is very different on the ground
CHP Deputy Chair Gülşah Deniz Atalar evaluated the current status of the tourism sector at a press conference held at the CHP Headquarters. Atalar stated that official data for 2025 looked promising, but the reality on the ground did not match this.
 
 
Atalar said, 'The Ministry of Culture and Tourism announced that it is targeting record tourists and revenues for 2025, but information from the field in the first month of the season shows that hotels are not full, reservations remain low, and businesses cannot make a profit due to increasing costs and the suppressed exchange rate.'
 
Decline in the number of foreign tourists and income distribution problems
Atalar, who stated that there was a serious decrease in the number of foreign tourists in important destinations such as Antalya in the first four months of 2025, emphasized that there was a decline especially in main markets such as Germany, Russia, Iran and England. He noted that the decline in question led not only to a numerical loss but also to a loss of quality in the tourist profile.
 
Atalar also stated that the revenues transferred to the public were not sufficient, and said, 'While 2.37 billion TL should have been collected as accommodation tax, only 68% of this amount was collected. In contrast, 2.16 billion TL was transferred to the Turkish Tourism Promotion and Development Agency. In other words, while tax collection is low, the resources transferred to TGA are more.'
 
Citizens' right to vacation has become a luxury
Atalar stated that a family of three must spend at least 90,000 TL for a one-week holiday in Antalya, adding that this cost exceeds four minimum wages and that the holiday has become inaccessible to the public.
 
Stating that "Vacation is not just a luxury, it is also a basic need," Atalar drew attention to the existence of citizens who cannot even go to their hometowns due to economic conditions.
 
Tourism workers work in difficult conditions
Atalar said that 2 million people work directly and 4.5 million people work indirectly in the sector, and that these people are trying to survive with low wages, high rents and no social security.
 
Atalar emphasized that the current economic structure threatens sustainability in tourism by saying, "In a sector where workers are unhappy and tired, service quality also decreases."
 
Call for a new tourism vision
Stating that the CHP sees tourism not only as a source of foreign exchange income but also as an area based on fair welfare sharing, cultural interaction and environmental awareness, Atalar argued that the potential in every region should be evaluated.
 
He said that a system where holiday opportunities are provided for retirees, young people and low-income citizens and where workers are not oppressed is also possible in Türkiye, as in Spain, Italy and Greece.
 
 
 
Source: CUMHA - CUMHURS NEWS AGENCY