Business · Companies · 5 hrs ago
Tourism executive warns against relying on past hotel investment models
Cengiz Barut, a board member of Turkey’s Tourism Promotion and Development Agency and its representative for the Mediterranean region, has warned about the direction of hotel investment.
He says the main risk for tourism is putting future money into business models that succeeded in the past.
Travelers’ habits are changing, and he says many guests are turning toward smaller, more distinctive and flexible experiences.
That could leave the sector investing in large hotels that do not match future demand.
Barut argues that success may depend less on the number of rooms and more on the value each space creates.
He also says technology and design can be copied, while a strong identity and sense of belonging are harder to imitate.
He wants Turkey to go beyond attracting tourists and develop hospitality brands, concepts and business models for the global market.
Cengiz Barut warned that tourism’s biggest investment risk is putting future capital into business models that succeeded in the past.
He said investors should ask whether the hotels being built today will actually be needed in the future.
Barut said travelers are moving toward smaller, more distinctive, flexible and less standardized experiences.
He argued that strong identity, culture and a sense of belonging will be harder to copy than technology or design.
He urged Turkey to create and export hospitality brands, concepts and business models, rather than only invest in tourism.
- Who
- Cengiz Barut, a board member of the Türkiye Tourism Promotion and Development Agency and its Mediterranean Region representative.
- What
- He warned against investing future capital in past hotel business models and called for new hospitality concepts and brands.
- When
- The article was published on October 11, 2026.
- Where
- Turkey; the article does not state where Barut made the remarks.
- Why
- He said travelers’ habits are changing and future consumers will differ from today’s.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
The biggest risk for the tourism sector in the coming period is not failing to invest, but investing tomorrow’s capital in yesterday’s success formula.
Will there really be a need for the hotels we are building today in the future?
Perhaps the most successful hospitality investment of the future will not be the one with the most rooms, but the one that can generate the most value per square meter.
We should now be a country that designs the future of tourism, not only one that invests in tourism.
This story does not have a timeline yet.
- Speaker
- Cengiz Barut
- Role
- Türkiye Tourism Promotion and Development Agency board member and Mediterranean Region representative
- Investment risk
- Investing future capital in yesterday’s successful formula
- Changing preferences
- Smaller, more distinctive, flexible and less standardized experiences
- Proposed ambition for Turkey
- Export new hospitality brands, concepts and business models
Sources
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