Istanbul tourism stakeholders discuss pricing and transportation

Representatives from the Association of Turkish Travel Agencies (TÜRSAB) and the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (İBB) met to address challenges facing the tourism transportation sector. Key topics included new fee structures for tourism road permits, driver restrictions, and the ongoing pedestrianization projects in the Historical Peninsula.

Discussions also focused on parking and stopping issues near airports and tourist zones, with potential support and discounts from İSPARK being considered. Both parties agreed to conduct joint field inspections to investigate these issues on-site.

Separately, Istanbul Chamber of Commerce (İTO) President Şekib Avdagiç noted that hotel prices in Istanbul remain low compared to international standards. Avdagiç emphasized that the price of a five-star hotel in Istanbul can struggle to compete with a three-star hotel in a small European town. He argued that increasing tourism revenue requires a pricing policy that better aligns with inflation and exchange rates, while also promoting congress and exhibition tourism to sustain activity throughout the year.