The sign of a watermelon rind

But we are getting deeply worried. We do not think the existing economic measures are sufficient, and we clearly see that the political agenda has been filled with other issues.

It is good to hear some say that the economy is improving, but I am really surprised. I sincerely want to believe that positive developments are happening in the Turkish economy. Does an airline full of passengers or a holiday resort full of tourists indicate an improved economy? If it does, then how do we explain the 30 percent rate of unemployment and the state the Turkish agriculture sector is in today?

I am in Antalya, speaking with tour operators and hotel managers. They do not sound optimistic. Compared to last year, the number of foreign tourists coming to Antalya has dropped by 30 percent. However, local tourists have almost filled some of the hotels, thanks to the May 19 holiday, Youth and Sports Day. Other hotels are empty. Some have reduced their staff, cut down on quality or lowered prices.

Our problem is how to save the day. As they closely follow the economic developments in Turkey, foreign markets immediately react to the situation and drop our grades. There are thousands of Web sites on the Internet that follow Turkey’s tourism sector closely. You can find all the information and criticisms, in detail, on these sites.

We have to be thankful that there have been no mass layoffs in the tourism sector in Antalya yet. People working in the sector are mostly getting their salaries, though some are able to find jobs, but complain of being underemployed. It is very difficult to lay off qualified workers in the tourism sector, where employer and employee tend to have a carefully interactive relationship.

Tourism is the goose that lays the golden egg. Years later, everyone in the region has realized the importance of the goose and is safeguarding it very carefully. But there are many sectoral problems, including price and quality. The expenditures hoteliers have to make to renovate their buildings also create financial problems in this period of economic crisis. Years ago, a hotel could cover its expenditures in six or seven years. Due to competition and the rise in expenses, it today takes 15 years to close the gap. I used to insistently write that the "all-inclusive system" was a pain in the neck for Turkish tourism. But the system we used to criticize has helped the tourism sector remain as it is. Especially in western Antalya, there is a demand for the all-inclusive system as the majority of foreign tourists coming to the region are Russians and Germans. In the hotel where we stayed, only our group and the staff were speaking Turkish.

In eastern Antalya, the variety of foreign tourists is higher than in the western part, as people are drawn to Turkey by high prices in Spain and Greece. Golf tourism is also developing in eastern Antalya, and in the winter months, there is football tourism too. Last year, hotels in the region hosted almost 1,500 football teams. Hotels near the airport are also successfully drawing conventions and other business groups during the winter months.

The weather is getting warmer and the holiday season is drawing near. Schools will be closed in late June. University exams will be over. Everyone has the right to take a holiday, but you have to have the money for it. If the Turkish economy is steered in the right direction and saved from derailing, people will be able to go on holiday with a more restful state of mind this summer. Otherwise, the tourism sector will have serious problems and will find it difficult to survive. The local tourist sustains the sector, while foreign tourists bring money to it.

Our elders always told us that we should never go swimming before the rind of a watermelon starts drifting in the sea. But I noticed that neither the locals nor the foreigners are worried about seeing the rind of a watermelon, which in recent years have been appearing out of season, before they ease themselves into the Mediterranean’s warm waters.