ALTSO President Erdem: “Linking rising rental prices to property sales to foreigners is a big mistake”

Alanya Chamber of Commerce and Industry President Eray Erdem emphasized that the sales of properties to foreigners and the refugee issue should be clearly distinguished from each other, and that linking the rising rental prices to the sales of properties to foreigners is a significant mistake.

ALTSO President Eray Erdem reminded that the closure of coastal regions such as Antalya, Aydın, Muğla, and similar areas to refugee settlement since the beginning of the Syrian war has been a great advantage for tourism regions. He stated that thanks to the foresight of our government, there has been no refugee problem in coastal areas, but unfortunately, our region has been negatively affected by the decisions taken to solve the refugee problem, which has caused significant issues in certain parts of our country. Despite being closed to refugee settlement, our region has been included in the general practices of refugee policies and has been significantly affected by the restrictions on residence. As a result, both citizens from Russia and neighboring countries and foreign nationals from European countries, who contribute significantly to the country’s economy, have had to leave our region quickly. In this context, we, as Alanya, fully support every decision made by our government regarding those who enter our country illegally and those who fall into the refugee category. The tourism identity of our region must be preserved and even developed.”

Eray pointed out that it should not be forgotten that the sale of properties to foreigners has directly brought 2.5 billion USD to the national economy. He noted that this figure could double indirectly with the humanitarian and social expenditures made in Alanya. Erdem continued: “As of 2022, our Alanya has issued residence permits to 48,216 foreign nationals from 123 countries. There are definitely no immigrants among these sales. The fact that foreigners who buy properties prefer Alanya during the four periods known as holiday periods, and that these periods are mostly outside of the summer season, is important in supporting tourism activities for 12 months. Additionally, these properties are generally studio-type residences of 30-60 square meters in the 1+1 format, which are not preferred by the majority of the local population. Therefore, it is not possible for these properties to significantly contribute to the increase in housing prices, as claimed by some circles.”

Erdem remarked that the crisis has negatively affected all other sectors as well. He stated that the difficulties in civil servant life and the financial struggles of the lower and middle-income groups being evaluated as a result of property sales to foreigners is not accurate. On the other hand, he pointed out that while inflation and related price increases are occurring in the country, it should not be forgotten that there is a segment that takes advantage of this situation to raise rents exorbitantly. Erdem said: “While the construction and real estate sectors, which provide great contributions to our region and therefore to our country’s economy, are on the verge of stagnation, this crisis has negatively affected all other sectors, and these effects have started to deepen. In this regard, we want to emphasize that the stagnation in property sales to foreigners has deeply shaken not only the real estate and construction sectors but also all other sectors, including food sellers, textiles, automotive, white goods, and furniture.”

Regarding foreign nationals, Erdem concluded, “Moreover, we believe that it should not be forgotten that we have been living in harmony, friendship, and brotherhood with thousands of foreign nationals in Antalya and Alanya, which continue to promote a vision of a world city. We should emphasize that this unity and solidarity contribute to promotion far more than even the most effective fairs. We see every foreign national who leads a happy life and chooses our region as their living space as an honorary promotional ambassador. It is apparent that their economic contributions, along with their significant impact on the social life of our region, should not be overlooked. As a result, our hope is to avoid comments and thoughts that will further negatively impact this issue, which has come to a standstill and could lead to major crises and bankruptcies.