Can Göktaş discusses Turkey’s Expanding Tourism and the Renovations at the Ritz Carlton Istanbul

Recent growth in the Turkish tourism industry has been above the expected average in the last two years. The General Manager Can Göktaş elaborated on the increase of tourists in the city and the renovations at the Ritz Carlton Istanbul to provide comfort to guests.

According to Göktaş, The Ritz Carlton Istanbul, continues to operate successfully because Istanbul is one of the most popular travel destination for the GCC families. Göktaş revealed that the hotel is actively preparing to receive families from the GCC region during school break in April. Many GCC citizen are in favor of a family holiday in Istanbul due to its array of historic mosques, monumental attractions, shopping alternatives especially in Istinye Park and Zorlu Center and family entertainment centers and food service.

The Ritz-Carlton, Istanbul is located in the heart of the city overlooking the Bosphorus and only 15 minutes from iconic attractions such as the Blue Mosque. Göktaş stated that a new children’s amusement park has been opened in Tuzla, ViaSea Theme Park and it features one of the biggest aquarium in Istanbul and Europe.

“We made renovations in the hotel and we will be having the first set of our new rooms inspired from the Turkish history in April.  The new experience will be from the culture of the historic Ottoman Empire and Selçuk times. The rooms are decorated with conceptual design combining contemporary features with a unique touch to improve guest satisfaction, “said Göktaş. He continued, the internet and electrical infrastructure as well as the cooling-heating system are upgraded to ensure a convenient stay for the guests.  

During an economic or political crisis in the country, The Ritz-Carlton uses a couple of effective strategies to increase the improvement. Göktaş said, “When there is a crisis, some hotels prefer to reduce costs from advertisement or customer service. We do the reverse, because we know that by enhancing guest experience during difficult times we can improve our business.”

According to Göktaş, Turkish Airlines plays a significant role in promoting the tourism, air transport, trade and movement between the GCC and Turkey with its distinctive services and density of flights from all Gulf cities to Istanbul. As a global brand, Turkish Airlines is also an important strategic partner to The Ritz-Carlton since it promotes the hotel. The GCC travelers can also make their bookings through Emirates Holidays, Qatar Airlines or Etihad Holidays etc. as The Ritz-Carlton Istanbul is available in every channel. Göktaş mentioned that the room prices are exactly the same on the web bookings whether it is posted at ritzcarlton.com/istanbul or at any travel agents to ensure customer loyalty.

The Ritz- Carlton Istanbul is participating in the Arabian Travel Market (ATM) from April 24- 27 in Dubai.