Eid holiday to give boost to Türkiye’s tourism industry

ISTANBUL

Travelers and vacationers’ spending is expected to be around 100 billion Turkish Liras during the upcoming nine-day Eid holiday, according to Firuz Bağlıkaya, the president of the Association of Turkish Travel Agencies (TÜRSAB).

Some 20 million people will be travelling during this long holiday. The government extended the Eid al-Fitr holiday to nine days, while schools will be closed until April 15 for a mid-term break.

“Since the government announced its decision for the extension of the holiday at an early date, people had time to do their vacation planning,” said Bağlıkaya.

Around 20 million people will be travelling during this period to visit their relatives and vacation at resort towns, according to Bağlıkaya.

He estimates that some 1.5 million people will check in at hotels during the holiday. “Including other accommodation facilities, around 2 million people will vacation.”

“The size of spending, including travel and vacationing-related expenditures, will be some 100 billion liras,” Bağlıkaya said.

Tourism companies are offering a wide range of alternatives for vacationers, he added.

“Demand is strong for hotels, cultural and nature tours in the Mediterranean region. People are booking for cultural tours in the southeastern provinces, Cappadocia and the Black Sea region.”

Most of the vacationers are booking for 3-to-4-night stays, he said.

For 5-night cultural tours by bus the price starts from 11,000 liras per person while if people travel by plane, this price goes up to 15,000 liras, according to Yerlikaya.

Turkish travelers, who want to go to abroad, are still having problems obtaining visas, he noted.

Those whose visa applications are rejected are preferring destinations such as Egypt or the Balkan countries, Yerlikaya said.

The price of a tour for foreign destinations ranges between 400 euros to 1,000 euros, he added.

Hoteliers in Antalya, one of the hottest tourist spots in Türkiye on the Mediterranean coast, are expecting a significant inflow of local and international tourists in the days and weeks ahead due to the Eid and Easter holidays.

Some 1.5 million German holidaymakers have made early reservations for Antalya as of March, said Kaan Kavaloğlu Mediterranean Touristic Hoteliers and Operators Association (AKTOB).

The number of foreign tourists visiting Antalya may exceed 17 million this year, according to Kavaloğlu.

If the war between Russia and Ukraine does not end, Germans will take over Russians as top visitors, while Britons will claim the third place, he said.

Kavaloğlu expects 1.5 million British tourists to vacation in Antalya in 2024.