Turkey’s return to this year’s Formula 1 calendar – after first replacing Canada, then abandoning the race and now replacing Singapore – has given new hope to the country’s tourism and accommodation sectors as officials now expect the Event around 100 million euros in revenue (1.05 billion TL), which compensates for part of the country’s previous tourism losses.

The hotels on Istanbul’s Anatolian side – where the races are held – are expected to be 100% occupied, while the hotels on the European side are forecast to have an occupancy of at least 50%.

Such a development was the result of a swift and successful nationwide vaccination campaign in which the number of new COVID-19 cases has recently decreased significantly.

Istanbul was listed in April as a replacement for Canada’s canceled Grand Prix in June, only at Due again weeks later Travel restrictions with the majority of teams being UK based.

Turkey is on the UK government’s “red list” of countries requiring 10 days of hotel quarantine for returning travelers.

However, organizers confirmed last Friday that they will make a second attempt to hold the Turkey Grand Prix after adding it to replace the canceled Singapore race in October.

The October 1-3 night race in Singapore was canceled earlier this month due to immigration restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Vural Ak, chairman of the Istanbul racetrack operator Intercity, which brought Formula 1 to Turkey last year after a nine-year hiatus, said nearly 4,000 racing teams are running for the Turkey Grand Prix, with almost 450 large trucks and seven to eight jumbo trucks.

He added that the materials will be transported by jet cargo plane.

“We expect 15-16,000 foreign visitors. Tourists will stay in the nearby hotels and if you factor in their food, drink and shopping expenses, they left our country with a foreign currency income of around 100 million euros, ”he said.

The event will take place in Istanbul Park from October 1st to 3rd. Many of the closed hotels in the metropolis open their doors on this occasion. Teams are scheduled to arrive at their hotels 20 days before the race, which are initially primarily located in Tuzla and the Anatolian side of Istanbul, although tourism experts say all Istanbul hotels will get their share during race week.

Müberra Eresin, President of the Turkish Hotel Association (TÜROB), said: “The cancellation of a very important event such as Formula 1, which we expected to become one in terms of both the number of tourists and the positive perception Recovery was disappointing. But we hoped it would take place in Turkey again. In fact it happened. “

“With or without an audience, it will give morale to the sector,” she added.

“If there is an audience, it will continue to have a positive impact on hotel occupancy,” said Eresin, adding that it will also have a positive impact on the Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions (MICE) industry, the conventions, Meetings, fairs and events “that we didn’t expect to be revived before the end of the year.”

Meanwhile, the general manager of Hagia Sofia Mansions Curio Collections by Hilton, Ahmet Arslan, said the race’s return to the country had given the industry a moral boost.

Arslan described Formula 1 as one of the most prestigious competitions in the world: “This event makes a great contribution to hotels in all countries. Because both the teams and the technical team go to the place where the competition will take place approx. 20 days before the event. An average of 100 rooms are reserved for a team. Usually 5 star hotels are preferred. In addition, many global channels follow the competition. For example, the owner of a large company brings the top 30 business partners and welcomes them to the best hotels by renting helicopters to race. This profile spends an average of 5,000 euros in three days. “

Ibrahim Halil Korkmaz, CEO of MOLTON Hotels, agreed with others in the industry and called Formula 1 an incredible motivator for the industry.

Korkmaz said that currently closed hotels will open their doors during this time, said Korkmaz: “With the high vaccination rates, we started to see a movement in the tourism sector. Russian and German tourists were pouring into the country again.”

They mostly go to coastal provinces, however, so organizations like this help metropolitan hotels get their fair share of the business.

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