Mid-term break gives boost to tourism activity

ISTANBUL

Occupancy rates at the hotels in popular tourist destinations, such as Antalya and Cappadocia, have climbed to around 70 percent thanks to mid-term break at schools, according to business daily Dünya.

Some hotels in those regions are fully booked, said representatives from the industry, adding that people who could not vacation in the summer months are now seizing the opportunity.

Mid-term break in Russia is also giving a boost to the tourism activity in November.

The Association of Tours Operators in Russia said Türkiye and Egypt top the list of foreign holiday destinations for Russian vacationists in November.

Demand from local holidaymakers during the 9-nine break, which began on Nov. 12, for Antalya, on the Mediterranean coast, Cappadocia and the southeastern provinces is strong, according to the daily.

Some 50 percent of hotels across Antalya are open, Kaan Kavaloğlu, vice chairman of the executive board of the Mediterranean Touristic Hoteliers Association (AKTOB), told Dünya, adding that tourist arrivals from Germany, the U.K. and Russia are continuing.

“The occupancy rate at Antalya hotels is around 70 percent. Domestic tourists’ contribution to the tourism activity will be around 10 percent and the occupation rate will probably increase to 80 percent,” he said.

Almost all 5-star, three and four-star hotels will be full during November, said Dinçer Sarıkaya, president of the Kemer Touristic Hoteliers Association (KETOB).

The tourism season has extended well into November thanks to favorable weather conditions, he added, noting that people are mostly traveling to warmer destinations such as Antalya.

Data from travel site, enuygun.com show that intercity bus ticket sales leaped 115 percent between Nov. 11-13 from the previous week. The most popular route was İzmir-Ankara, followed by Ankara-Mersin, Istanbul-İzmir. Most of the tickets purchased buy those live in Istanbul, according to the data.

Some 58 percent of the travelers are female and 42 percent are male, data also showed.