Population in resort towns boom during Eid holiday

ISTANBUL

Many resort towns in Türkiye’s coastal provinces have become overcrowded with holidaymakers as millions hit the road to stop by the coastal provinces to enjoy the sunny weather, beaches and sea during the Eid al-Adha holiday.

While the population of the Aegean province of Muğla, which is 1.02 million during the off-season, reached approximately 3 million during the 9-day holiday and 100 percent occupancy rate was seen in Muğla’s hotels.

The population of the Muğla’s Bodrum district has soared to 1 million.

There were kilometers-long queues of cars on the main roads and busy streets of the town.

In İzmir’s Çeşme district, the population increased by 20 times and reached 1 million, and the occupancy rate in hotels is at 90 percent. There were also power cuts in several parts of the district due to excessive consumption.

The total number of domestic and foreign tourists is around 150,000 in the southern province of Antalya’s Kemer district, according to the municipality’s data.

“These numbers will remain the same until the end of August,” said Kemer Mayor Necati Topaloğlu.

While the Avşa, Ekinlik and Marmara islands off the coast of the northwestern Balıkesir province have a total population of 10,14, they approached 200,000 during the holiday according to Marmara Island Mayor Süleyman Aksoy.

The population of Şarköy, the summer resort town neighboring Istanbul, which is 50,000 in winter has exceeded 400,000 with the arrival of holidaymakers with some not being able to find a place in the hotels.

“Şarköy has become the first choice of citizens coming from Istanbul because it’s close and the sea is clean. We are working to ensure that holidaymakers spend their days in safety,” Şarköy Mayor Alpay Var said.

“The most popular destinations are Bodrum, Kuşadası, Fethiye and Marmaris on the Aegean coast, while people will also travel to Kemer, Alanya and Belek in the Mediterranean region,” said Firuz Bağlıkaya, chair of the Association of Turkish Travel Agencies (TURSAB).

He also noted there is strong demand for destinations such as Assos, Sapanca and Ayvalık due to their proximity to Istanbul, while the Eastern Black Sea region is attracting visitors with cultural tours.

The Islamic Eid al-Adha holiday started on July 9 and ended on July 12, but the holiday period has been extended to nine days to cover July 13 and 14, giving people an opportunity to divide the holiday between family visits and vacation.

Millions of peoples will hit the roads again later this week to return from family visits and holidays to their hometowns, and likely to cause heavy traffic, particularly in large cities, such as Istanbul and Ankara.