Warning from Metin Ergun: 'Crisis in tourism deepens'

İYİ Party Muğla Deputy Metin Ergun brought up the crisis that the tourism sector has been dragged into in his speech at the TBMM General Assembly . Stating that Turkish tourism is going through a historical bottleneck, Ergun said that the government's wrong economic policies have made the country one of the most expensive destinations in the world.

Ergun, who began his speech by saying, "The tourism sector is facing a deep crisis," drew attention to the decline in accommodation lengths and occupancy rates. Ergun warned, "Hotel accommodation lengths have decreased by 10% and occupancy rates by 5%. This trend could end in bankruptcy ."

"Hotels are empty in Muğla, shopkeepers are devastated"

Ergun, who stated that his own constituency, Muğla , was seriously affected by this crisis, said that reservations in popular centers such as Bodrum, Marmaris and Fethiye had decreased. "Local tradesmen, who were already harmed by the all-inclusive system, are now completely devastated," he said.

"It is insensitivity for the minister to go to Greece for a holiday"

Ergun, who also criticized the Minister of Culture and Tourism Mehmet Nuri Ersoy with harsh words, described the Minister's choice of Greece for a holiday as "insensitivity." Ergun said, "The Minister must have lost hope in Turkish tourism because he went to a rival country for a holiday. When this issue came up, he said the trip was for research purposes. His apology is bigger than his fault."

In his speech, Ergun reminded Dündar Taşer 's words, "You don't start judging the situation with your competitors," and called on Minister Ersoy to first visit the Turkish coast and see the situation in the sector firsthand.

Ergun said that not only the minister but also many citizens are turning to countries like Greece for holidays due to high prices and decreasing service quality, adding, "Holiday costs in Türkiye are no longer competitive."

Call for a parliamentary inquiry committee

Ergun, who suggested that a research commission be established in Parliament to solve the crisis in the tourism sector, stated that the following questions should be answered:

• What is the impact of current economic policies on tourism?

• What are the reasons for the decrease in service quality?

• What should be done to raise the tourist profile?

• How to regain the lost Northern European and British markets?

• Why do local tourists turn to rival countries?

• How can Türkiye become a competitive tourism country again?

Ergun, who ended his speech by saying, "We have to develop solution-oriented policies to save tourism," called for support for the research proposal they submitted on behalf of the İYİ Party Group. The proposal was rejected by the votes of the AK Party and MHP .