As the pandemic continues to weigh on the global tourism sector, some countries are more severely affected and some are trying to cushion themselves with state support, health initiatives and rapid vaccine rollouts. Having developed trust in Turkey’s tourism industry, which attracted many tourists last year despite a significant loss compared to the year before the pandemic, the Radisson Hotel Group aims to uninterruptedly maintain its investment plans in the country with three new hotels this year, Trend reports citing Daily Sabah.
The group aims to reach 50 hotels and 10,000 beds by 2025, while its regional representative said by continuing their investment plans they “are fulfilling their commitment to Turkey,” where they forecast tourism revenues will increase by 30% in 2021.
Radisson Hotel Group Deputy Chairperson for Africa and Turkey and Business Development Director Ramsay Rankoussi said in an interview with Turkish daily Sabah that people are ready to travel and they will turn toward the countries they think will be safe.
Rankoussi described the pandemic-hit 2020 as a year full of difficulties but also one that brought lessons with it.
“There has been no change in our mission. We continue to implement our 5-year development plan in the same way,” he continued, regarding their investment plans for Turkey.
Saying that a better year awaits the whole tourism sector in 2021, he noted that although the revenue increase that is projected as 30% is still down from 2019 figures, “it is promising to enter a period of increase from a downward one.”
He went on to say that people are ready for travel but “the question everyone is asking is whether they will be quarantined in the country they are going to and that tourists want to feel safe without being quarantined,” stressing that vaccination processes will open travel corridors for the countries handling it best.
The group will open a Radisson Collection hotel in the western tourist town of Bodrum in May while another hotel is planned to be inaugurated at the Aliağa district of western Izmir, as well. The third hotel planned for this year will be opening at central Kayseri’s Erciyes mountain, home to ski resorts, at the end of the year under the brand name Radisson Blu.
Furthermore, in 2022, the hotel group will also open three hotels in Istanbul’s Esenyurt and Çamlıvadi and in the northwestern province of Bursa.