In Alanya alone, around ten percent of the approximately 300,000 residents are foreigners with a residence permit. About half of them come from Germany.
(Photo: dpa)
Istanbul 599 euros for 22 days on the Turkish Riviera, five stars all inclusive. The discounter Lidl is advertising this travel bargain for January 2023 in its latest brochure. Even the train transfer to the airport and a laundry service are included in the price. In addition, a back massage and a facial treatment are extras. Travel provider BigXtra Touristik, for whom Lidl sells vacation trips, is currently putting together packages of this type.
What may inspire the idea of spending the winter months in a milder climate (average: 23 degrees) in view of the rising energy prices in Germany, in turn triggers outrage in Turkey. In a country plagued by high inflation and economic problems, the competitive price for the Lidl trip is lower than some monthly rents – but without all-inclusive luxury.
However, Turkey does not share the gas price rally with the rest of Europe. Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s government is paying in rubles as requested by Russia, as it has not joined Western sanctions on Russia’s financial system. And, unlike Germany, receives the agreed delivery quantities. “Unlike Europe, Turkey will not have any problems this winter,” said Erdogan. Meanwhile, consumer advocates expect gas prices in Germany to triple or quadruple in winter.
And so Turkish hoteliers are able to put together cheap deals for foreign tourists. But in the country where the prices for Turks have multiplied within a few months, this is causing a lack of understanding and envy. Official inflation is currently at 80 percent, but many products and groceries have become much more expensive.
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“My beautiful homeland has become a cheap home for Europeans,” writes a Turkish Twitter user. Another Twitter user posted a written conversation with a friend showing a photo of the Lidl deal. The interlocutor’s reaction: “That’s cheaper than my monthly rent.” Another user compared the price for German vacationers with that which domestic residents would have to pay on a Turkish booking platform for the same hotel in the same period: it’s two and a half times as much. “We can never spend the night there,” was the angry conclusion.
With the energy price flat rate on vacation in Turkey?
Even the most recent measures taken by the federal government to cushion the high energy costs for citizens are causing controversy in Turkey. As of December 1st, pensioners will receive an energy price flat rate of 300 euros. “German pensioners can then spend three weeks in our country for 299 euros and flee from the high heating costs,” summed up another user on Twitter.
He doesn’t seem to know that the 300 euros have to be taxed in Germany. The envy debate also blinds people to the fact that rents and ancillary cost deductions continue due to a stay abroad and that low earners can hardly afford the double burden. “Will the Germans spend their winter in Turkey?” asks a Turkish online newspaper rhetorically. The gist of the article is clear: the Germans are doing well enough and now they want to save money in Turkey as well.
Deniz Ugur, head of the Swiss tour operator Bentour, recognizes that the Turkish population is more sensitive to the high prices in the country. At the same time, he suspects a trend behind the Lidl offer. If you now have to pay up to 1000 euros for your gas bill instead of 200 euros, you should look around for alternatives.
He reckons that up to a million Germans could come to Turkey this winter alone, around twice as many as usual. He is calling on Turkish hoteliers to reconsider their plans to close for the winter – envy debate or not. Because this is also a fact: You can make money and boost the tourism industry with fully booked hotels – not with empty ones.
Meanwhile, Lidl actually has holiday options for the remaining cold months. In December 2022 and February 2023 the price for the same five-star hotel is 649 euros for three weeks, in November and March 699 euros, in April 899 euros and in May 999 euros per person.
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