Ramadan Bayram to boost Antalya tourism

ANTALYA - Anatolia News Agency

The hotels in the southern province of Antalya have been booked completely full because this year’s Ramadan Bayram coincides with the summer holiday, according to the Mediterranean Touristic Hotels and Investors Association (AKTOB) Deputy Chairman Yusuf Hacısüleyman.

“There are 1,050 hotels, 200 of which are five-star hotels, in Antalya. The Ramadan bayram holiday caused these hotels to serve at full capacity even without presenting any [special] artist program,” he said, adding that popular holiday destination regions like Muğla, Bodrum, Antalya, Kemer and Alanya were preferred by local tourists.

Turkish Travel Agencies Union (TURSAB) Antalya Chairman Mustafa Egemen said the 100 percent occupancy rate was not only caused by the bayram holiday and that a few other factors played a part in the full bookings. “Schools are also on holiday and Turkish people living in Europe are coming to the country in summer,” Egemen said.

Occupancy rates were low in January, February and March but showed a significant increase in August, Divan Hotel Antalya General Director Avni Aykut said.

He said that the first six months of the year began with loss, but that they expected to compensate that loss in the second half of the year.