Record number of passengers cross Thrace border gates

ISTANBUL

With scores of Turkish expats returning to European countries after spending their summer holidays in Türkiye, the number of passenger entries and exits through the border crossings in the northwestern region has reached a record high over the past five years.

A total of 646,896 vehicles carried more than 2.6 million passengers into Türkiye through the Thrace border crossings connecting Europe between June 22 and Sept. 10, according to the data from the Thrace Customs and Trade Zone Directorate of the Trade Ministry.

During the same period, 619,499 vehicles transported nearly 2.5 million passengers out of the country.

As the schools went on summer break in June, expatriates opted for the border crossings in Edirne and Kırklareli for their entries and exits to Türkiye. The most preferred border crossing among them was the Kapıkule Border Gate, which opens into Bulgaria.

"My family and I traveled for two weeks, and now the return journey has begun. We'll be back to work next week. I attribute the high number of land travels both ways this year to the expensive plane tickets. Therefore, most people prefer car travel. Besides, I personally enjoy the journey, so I prefer to come with my own car," said Gazi Sarı, who arrived at the Kapıkule Border Gate to return to Germany.

“The ticket prices are a bit high. That's why most people prefer coming with their cars instead of by plane,” said Cemal Çuhadar, another Turkish expat.