Eid holiday refreshes Turkey´s tourism sector

ANTALYA - Doğan News Agency

The four-day-long Eid al-Fitr holiday cheered the tourism sector in Turkey, after a tough year when the industry was hit by a severe blow due to crisis in Russia.

Chairman of the Professional Hotel Managers Association (POYD) Ali Kızıldağ quoted an occupancy rate of 100 percent at hotels and attributed this recovery to the holiday of Eid al-Fitr.

“We observe a huge demand in the domestic market. Aegean and Mediterranean coasts are extremely busy,” added Kızıldağ.

According to Kızıldağ, around 150,000 people have preferred to head to the coasts of Turkey and room prices are ranging from 250 to 750 Turkish Liras per night.

While Antalya has been the first preference for many travelers, Kemer, Belek, Side, and Alanya of southern coasts, along with Marmaris, Bodrum, Kuşadası on the Aegean coast, were also significant attraction points this year, commented ETS Tourism Domestic Tour Manager Suat Özbek.

Nevertheless, Özbek added that the number of visitors this year - more than 130,000 people - could not be considered a success, regarding the population is 80 million in the country.  

The “economy of the Eid-al-Fitr holiday” is expected to provide a value between 250-300 million liras for the tourism sector.