Calis Beach and Fethiye Turkey Discussion Forum
Turkey Related Subjects => Turkey Discussion Forum (Not Calis specifically) => Topic started by: Scunner on April 28, 2013, 11:06:33 AM
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Following the Government saying they intend to tax alcohol very heavily (for tax revenue purposes, not for any religion based reasons - yeah right) - do you think it will hit the tourism industry which is such a good sector for the country?
I can't see how it won't - cheaper food is pretty much on the way out, that and the attraction of cheaper alcohol made Turkey fantastic value for money, but maybe not for long. Meat is expensive, getting to the place is expensive (flights) and now alcohol prices are set to rocket.
What about places like Belek - just kilometre after kilometre of 5* All inclusive hotels - meat expensive, flights expensive, now alcohol set to become even more expensive - what price will the AI hotels need to charge just to break even, let alone make a profit? AI is doing increasingly better in places like Spain and Portugal, where meat and alcohol are cheap as the proverbial chips - and closer to the UK with cheaper flights.
I've often said that on holiday I don't worry how much my efes is, and for a week or 10 days I don't - but that's also because it isn't likely to be excessively expensive.
The point is, if in future I have to spend (say) 8 quid for a beer, I'd probably not. I'd probably avoid beer and maybe just go to Portugal for £79 return and buy a beer for 2 euro (or cheaper).
Bleak future ahead?
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Couldn't agree more, sunshine and value for money holiday destinations are very much part of British culture.
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Will Alcohol Price Increases Affect Turkey Tourism?
Yes.
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I think RTE wants to encourage more Muslim tourists from the Middle East. I hear there are already some specialist Islamic hotels - that is, no alcohol, no smoking, gender-segregated swimming pools, "modest" dress code, and so on.
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I think it will have an impact on tourism. Like you Scunner, we've never bothered how much we pay for a beer, or glass of wine as we're on holiday and don't drink that much anyway (well, most of the time!) and we've always considered it to be cheap enough in the past not to. However, with the cost of flights getting more expensive - we're out again next month, same time as last year and even booking our easyjet flights as soon as they were released have paid about £100 more than last year. If everything else is going up then people will start to look for alternatives. Times are hard for a lot of people and if they can afford a holiday abroad want good value for money.
Last October, after rather a hectic year for various reasons, we looked at booking a late holiday for a bit of sunshine. We ended up in Ibiza, a small resort we've been to before many years ago, lovely small hotel, spotlessly clean, friendly and helpful staff and just across the road from the beach. We paid £450 for both of us, flights, transfers and a week half board, all through Travel Republic. I booked half board because I was expecting eating and drinking out to be expensive out there, but was pleasantly surprised. It was certainly comparable with Turkey last year, if not cheaper in some places. It only got a bit expensive when we went to Ibiza town but that was to be expected. The flights were with Ryanair so I suppose we could have done it cheaper still if we'd booked earlier.
It's unlikely we'll be out to Turkey again this year and will look for other places to visit, probably Spain or Portugal, it's sad to see this happening because we still love Turkey but when you are on a limited income these things have to be taken into account.
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But are there enough holidaymakers from the Middle East who want to leave the heat of home for a holiday in the heat of Turkey? There are surely millions more people visiting now than could be attracted from Islamic countries.
Also, having worked in the Middle East and had many colleagues come to the UK from the Middle East for training courses and the like, I can report that the last thing many of them want is an alcohol free trip ;)
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We ended up in Ibiza, a small resort we've been to before many years ago, lovely small hotel, spotlessly clean, friendly and helpful staff and just across the road from the beach. We paid £450 for both of us, flights, transfers and a week half board, all through Travel Republic. I booked half board because I was expecting eating and drinking out to be expensive out there, but was pleasantly surprised. It was certainly comparable with Turkey last year, if not cheaper in some places.
Yes, same experience for us too Marina - we purposely chose places that were not Turkey (to show the girls new places after 10 years of Turkey) and were expecting expensive meals and paying 6 euro for a beer. Both in Portugal and Spain not a bit of it - lovely rooftop restaurants with 9.90 euro 3 course set menu choices (and damned good too and the kids loved it), cheap drinks and even a carafe of white wine on the house for keeping us waiting. Amazing value, and they hadn't kept us waiting at all!
As you say, you could eat expensive too but these great value places were all over both resorts.
Game on.
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I think Turkey's still an attraction for first-timers because of the novelty. However once they get out there and realise just how expensive everything is compared to Spain or Portugal there's little likelyhood of them returning.
The average holidaymaker wants sun, sea and cheap food and drink for their annual break and if Turkey can only offer the first 2 then they won't be getting the repeat customers in the numbers that they've had in the past.
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What do you think an Efes will cost in September?
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£46
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There are mini bars in some hotels in Istanbul that charge that already.
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I blame Mete
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and you'll get a voucher for a free holiday in Syria.
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Yes it will I have had my house in Koca Calis for 4 years. I love Turkey it might be ok for holiday makers not to worry about what they spend, but people who live there, pay their bills, its not good. Thank goodness for corks and cappers. Might have to give up drinking!
Goverment dont spoil what you have!
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Might have to give up drinking!
Steady on Carol!
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Yes it will I have had my house in Koca Calis for 4 years. I love Turkey it might be ok for holiday makers not to worry about what they spend, but people who live there, pay their bills, its not good. Thank goodness for corks and cappers. Might have to give up drinking!
Goverment dont spoil what you have!
Think that's the problem though Carol - it is going to affect holidaymakers as well as people who live there permanently and visit regularly if they own their own place.
It's not just the drinks, it's the flights and eating out becoming more expensive and tourists want value for money and don't want to feel like they're being ripped off.
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We're doomed, doomed I tell ye!! :o :o
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The point is, if in future I have to spend (say) 8 quid for a beer, I'd probably not.
OMG!! Do you think it could come to that? I really hope not. We went to Norway a few years ago. Beautiful place and lovely people but about £7.50 a pint. We're glad we've been but we probably wouldn't go back. Can't afford it.
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Yes I do - Turkey suffers from a very widespread cash economy and this results in huge losses of tax revenue. So they have to tax the things they have control over (imports, petrol, alcohol duties) very heavily to compensate - you couldn't fill your car with petrol and pay cash to avoid paying the duty for example. That is why these things are so bloody expensive.
I can certainly see the 8 quid pint, if it is for fiscal reasons. This Islamic government insist it is for those reasons and not religious ones (laws based on religious beliefs are not allowed in this secular country). All this from a party lead by a man who asks "why drink wine when you can eat grapes"...
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Sadly it will affect tourism IMHO. We go over to our place about 3 times a year but it is getting so expensive now. If we didnt own we would be off elsewhere without a doubt.
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£46
Is that a barrel ??? ;D ;D
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Sadly it will affect tourism IMHO. We go over to our place about 3 times a year but it is getting so expensive now. If we didnt own we would be off elsewhere without a doubt.
You hit the nail on the head. It now cost us more per year to own a home in Turkey than it would for a good holiday in the Caribbean and another later in the year somewhere in Europe.
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The cost of meat and drink in Turkey is now ridiculous,this is two reasons why i Chose to move full time to Spain recently instead of Turkey ,anyway Im off to have a few pints of my 2 euro Beer ,oops sorry happy hour now at 1.50.
Next year Im going to Benidorm to see Jacqui drinking in the street . :o ;D :-*
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It's not just tourism affected as it then moves on to loss of jobs and then loss of revenue fom income tax. They will probably lose revenue from people not drinking as much too. So in the end the tax made will probably not cover what they lose.
I think it's all about Turkey looking east rather than west at the moment. Hopefully it will change in the future. I bet prices won't go down though!
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We have been going to Turkey twice a year for the last 20 years, and we have booked for 4 weeks this June. However we are seeing how we get on in June, before we think about booking again for September. Like others, we are not big drinkers normally, but we do go out for a meal and have a drink every night when on holiday and if it becomes to expensive then we will most likely go back to Spain - happy hour drinks etc. results in less expense - in Fuengirola they are offering beer / coffee/ wine etc. for 1 Euro in some places - even in our 4 star hotel in happy hour (of which there are many) beer only costs 1.60 Euro. We have already worked out that going to Spain self catering in better accommodation than we have in Calis - eating out every night will work out roughly the same at Turkey. We do however, like many others, love going back to Calis year after year, but if drinks/meals go up any more we will definitely be looking elsewhere. it is a shame for all the hard working bar/restaurant owners in the tourist parts of Turkey who are going to suffer as a result of these increases.
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IMHO I will go to Turkey and pay more because we love it there. I will not go elsewhere because it's cheaper. I want to be in Turkey not Spain. If I did go elseswhere I would not enjoy my holiday half as much and the whole point of holidays is to be somewhere you love and want to be.
I just got a face time call from my Daughter who was sitting down at Georges in 32 degrees of heat. It looked lovely even had a word with Yusef. It made me really sad I am not there just now.
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Personally I don't think entry to the EU would be good for Turkey. However, they are getting massive finance from the EU at the moment and since the time they have been looking to join but they are clearly looking to The East.
http://ec.europa.eu/enlargement/instruments/funding-by-country/turkey/index_en.htm
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The people who come to this site are by and large Turkophiles, and you'd expect them to 'put up with prices etc.' on the basis that they like/love the place and are more forgiving on some of the things going on. However, the situation for the vast swathe of UK holidaymakers is not the same at all, prices are very important, and of course Turkey has to compete against the prejudice of the majority of holidaymakers have based on some pre-concieved wrong ideas of Turkey. Usually only overcome by coming here.
I am not sure about holiday makers from other countries whether they will be put off, but I am sure that many UK visistors will, and that will have a bigger or perhaps more disproportionate impact on Calis/Fethiye which are usually seen as a Brits destination.
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usedbustickets - there's a lot of truth in what you say there. You could probably include us in the Turkophiles description and we hope to be enjoying holidays there for a few more years to come! But, as we don't own our own place there, we are not tied to any particular country for holidays and there will only be so much we do put up with.
Jacqui says that she wouldn't enjoy holidays any other place than Turkey which is her choice of course. But to me, there are so many other lovely places to visit which I now feel I want to explore along with Turkey. But if prices rise to such an extent that it means one holiday a year to Turkey OR two or three holidays to other, cheaper, but just as inviting countries then I know which I will choose.
Jacqui also joked earlier, in another topic, about Benidorm - well a couple of years ago we went to a place just a few miles down the coast from there although it could have been a million miles in terms of the difference in resorts. It was a beautiful little place , absolutely glorious beaches (which many on the Costa Blanca are) and loads of eating places. We were recommended to go a restaurant overlooking the marina and the bay which did a good 'Menu of the Day'. I can honestly say it was the best, both in terms of excellent food and value for money we've ever had anywhere. About 10 euro for 3 excellent courses and a half a bottle of wine each!
We may be Turkophiles but we're not blinkered, and lots of others will feel the same.
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I'm a Maldivesophile, it's just that I can afford to go there three times a year these days ;)
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There`s a hotel/restaurant/bar close to our apartment in Hisaronu blatantly advertising on a board outside `tequila sunrise`5tl `gin and tonic` 5tl `vodka and a mix 5tl`, `any cocktail` 6tl ... it can only be ` the dodgy dangerous home made stuff` ..its impossible to legally sell genuine alchohol at those prices today !!! .. so is this going to be an ugly trend and the way the local bars will get round, or try to get round the rising costs ? there have already been one or two reports of police raids in a few bars in Hisaronu last season... and in Antalya a couple of russians died drinking the stuff.... a worrying thought.
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Worrying! Glad I'm a beer only man.
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And only out of the bottle
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I'm a Maldivesophile, it's just that I can afford to go there three times a year these days ;)
Thanks Scunner, gave me a much needed laugh this morning! ;D
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As mentioned, the government says this is for tax raising reasons and not down to their religious beliefs (which just happen to be anti-alcohol). Now there is a problem here too - nearly all studies show that increasing alcohol prices has a direct effect of reducing sales. In Turkey even, rakı consumption has reduced by approaching 50% (in real terms 34 million litres a year) since 1998 as prices have increased - 25 tax hikes in those 15 years.
That would suggest that if it's tax revenue you're after, increasing duty on alcohol might not the best way to do it. However, if you want to impose your anti-drinking beliefs on people, this is a brilliant way to achieve your aims.
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How long before it will go like the UAE and you will have to drink at home or in a hotel that has permission to serve alcohol - or whatever the rules are over there?
It won't be long before we are coming back off holiday weighing less than when we got there!
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To highlight the effect on raki - a 70cl bottle cost 2.37 TL in 1998, now 51.5 TL. Had we experienced the same rise in whisky prices in the UK in the same 15 years, a bottle of whisky bought just before the Millenium at £12 would today be for sale at £264.10 a bottle.
And the new tax hikes haven't started yet...
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We were just talking about price rises here, in a relatively short period of time Dolmus prices have doubled, as have the water taxi and it was quite easy to find a bar selling large Effes for 2 lira, now it's more like 7 lira.