Greek islands in high demand for upcoming Eid holiday

ISTANBUL

The Mediterranean resort of Antalya and Greek Islands will be in high demand during the Eid al-Adha holiday in mid-June, with some 50,000 Turks expected to visit those islands, according to representative of the tourism industry.

The Eid al-Adha will take place between June 16-19, but people from the tourism sector expect the government to extend the holiday.

Some holidaymakers are already making plans for a nine-day break, they said, adding that the Eid will give a boost to tourism activity in popular resort destinations as well as to cultural tourism.

Antalya will be the most favored place with holidaymakers while Greek islands are likely to draw thousands of Turkish travelers during the Eid al-Adha thanks to the fast-track visa scheme, they said.

Some 20,000 Turks visited the Greek islands in the Aegean Sea during the Eid al-Fitr holiday in April. This time round, some 50,000 Turkish holidaymakers are expected to travel to those islands as Eid coincides with the summer holiday season.

In May, Greece expanded its visa on arrival program for Turkish citizens to five more Aegean islands. Now, Turkish holidaymakers can travel to a total of 10 Greek islands under the visa-on-arrival scheme.

Around 35 million people are expected to be on the move during the Eid al-Adha inside Türkiye, while accommodation facilities are likely to host some 5 million holidaymakers.

A three-day holiday for a family of three in the resort town of Bodrum will cost at least 40,000 Turkish Liras ($1,200), which does not include transportation expenses.

However, spending the Eid holiday on Greek island appear to be more affordable. For instance, a similar holiday in the Greek island of Rhodes, will cost a family of three around 32,000 liras in, including accommodation and travel expenses.