2 mln people expected to take vacation on Eid-al Adha

ANTALYA

With a whopping 585 thousand reservations made and a predicted holiday activity of 2 million people expected, the southern province of Antalya expects a historic spike in tourism during the nine-day Eid al-Adha holiday.

According to the president of Association of Turkish Travel Agencies (TÜRSAB) Firuz Bağlıkaya, they expect 2 million people to have a holiday in Türkiye during this holiday season.

Pointing out that there is a high interest in coastal destinations and cultural tours in the country for the holiday, Bağlıkaya said that the demand for the Aegean and Mediterranean regions in the country is concentrated, as Alanya, Side, Belek, Kemer, Kaş stand out in Antalya; while Kuşadası, Didim, Bodrum, Marmaris, Fethiye districts are preferred in the Aegean region.

Explaining that there is also some interest in Cappadocia, North Aegean and the Black Sea areas in cultural tours, Bağlıkaya noted that there is also demand for Sapanca, Bolu and Abant regions as these are famous holiday destinations closest to Istanbul.

Bağlıkaya said that in international tours, destinations where a visa is not required come to the fore and Balkan tours and Greek islands are among the most in demand.

“It is extremely important for our citizens to purchase their holidays from TÜRSAB member travel agencies in order to avoid any unjust treatment. Especially with the development of digital booking facilities, abuse and forgery incidents are encountered more frequently. Such situations increase even more especially during periods of high demand such as holiday periods and high season,” Bağlıkaya also warned.

Tourism expert Recep Yavuz stated that the increase of the Eid holiday to nine days changed the minds of hundreds of thousands of people who were not initially planning to go on a vacation.

Yavuz also pointed out that the prices have doubled compared to last year with the reflection of increasing costs on accommodation and transportation prices.

“Some luxury hotels will already be full, but the demand for more affordable hotels will increase,” he added.

Meanwhile, the cruise ship named “Mein Schiff” brought thousands of tourists to Bodrum yesterday. The ship, which came from the Greek island of Crete, anchored at Bodrum Ship Berthing Pier with 2,539 passengers and 907 staff, most of whom are German.