Turkish hoteliers may want to rethink their marketing strategy, if the findings of a new survey are anything to go by. According to new research by the Akdeniz University Faculty of Tourism, it’s not package holiday tourists they should be targeting, but backpackers.
Backpackers in Turkey spend more than 'normal' visitors © Maridav - Fotolia
The new research shows that backpackers, despite their reputation for travelling on a shoestring budget and staying in the cheapest hotel rooms they can find, actually spend more money than visitors who book a package tour.
Researchers quizzed a total of 807 backpackers in Istanbul, finding that the average length of their stay was 11.5 days, during which time they spent $972 on food, accommodation, shopping and other travel expenses.
The results of the survey were presented during the 13th National Tourism Congress in Antalya this week. The findings stressed that backpackers are a crucial component of the world’s tourism industry. Interestingly, in Turkey’s case, over 50% of backpackers were women, the majority of them being lone travelers. The report also found that most backpackers in Istanbul were aged under thirty, with visitors from Australia, France, Germany, New Zealand and the US making up the majority.
Kapadokya is one of the biggest draws for backpackers in Turkey © waj - Fotolia.com
As for where these visitors spent their time, the study reported that most backpackers spent an average of six days in Istanbul, before travelling to destinations such as Antalya, Efes, Kapadokya and Pamukkale.
Altogether, the report noted that backpackers account for approximately 30% of world tourism, although their concentration is far higher in nations like Australia, New Zealand, Thailand, Turkey and Vietnam.