Will Istanbul's Hotel Boom Last? | Hotel Occupancy | ITF 2026 | Can Erdem

Exclusive interview with Can Erdem, Associate Account Director, Hotel at DACH, STR (Part of CoStar Group), in conversation with Travel And Tour World, at the Istanbul Tourism Fair 2026. Key Highlights: 1. Can Erdem shares that this is his first year attending the Istanbul Tourism Fair and is excited by the strong turnout of local and international industry professionals networking and discussing business. 2. On AI's impact on the hotel industry, he acknowledges AI is reshaping many industries, including tourism, primarily to increase efficiency, but emphasizes that hospitality remains a human-touch-driven industry, and he's pleased that human focus and the sales element still take priority. 3. On the hotel industry across the Middle East and Eurasian countries, he notes that regional turmoil in 2026 has significantly hurt hotel occupancy, with Istanbul partially affected as well due to its position as the gateway between Europe and Asia/Middle East. 4. He expects the Middle East region to recover quickly given its track record of fast recovery and strong pricing response. 5. On Istanbul specifically, he shares that while the first half of the year was impacted, occupancy recovered significantly in the second half, particularly May, June, and July. 6. Looking ahead, he notes healthy bookings on the books for September and October, with positive expectations for the end of September and October, though November and December remain uncertain since booking windows remain very short. About Travel And Tour World: Travel And Tour World is a global travel media platform covering travel, tourism, hospitality, aviation, MICE, cruise, and luxury travel, with readership across 195 countries. [Istanbul tourism, Istanbul Tourism Fair, hotel occupancy recovery, Middle East hotel industry, Turkey tourism 2026, AI in hospitality, hotel industry trends, Istanbul hotel market, tourism recovery 2026, hospitality human touch, Istanbul Tourism Fair 2026 hotel industry outlook, Istanbul hotel occupancy recovery 2026, Middle East hotel industry recovery turmoil, hotel industry forecast 2027 2028] #IstanbulTourismFair #STR #CoStarGroup #IstanbulTourism #MiddleEastHotels #AIinHospitality #TurkeyTourism #HotelOccupancy #TravelIndustryTrends #TravelAndTourWorld