Ramadan, which coincides with the school break, allows families to extend their holidays. In this period, especially abroad tourism options come to the fore. In the country, cultural tours are changing direction this time.
The second midterm holiday period of the schools merges with the Ramadan. The mid-term holiday, which will start on April 17, coincided with the holiday that will be celebrated for 3 days starting from April 21. While this period provides a longer holiday opportunity for families with children, it also offers daily travel opportunities for those who only want to spend the Ramadan on holiday. While last-minute planning is expected to come to the fore, it is seen that families who have already made programs mostly prefer international tours. The interest in visa-free travel abroad is quite intense compared to previous periods. Due to the earthquakes, there is no tourism movement towards this region. For this reason, the options for cultural tourism in Safranbolu, Amasra, İzmir and Trakya stand out. In this context, it is seen that the average holiday prices per person in the country are between 700-1000 liras.
THERE IS A GAP DEFICIENCY
The cities within the scope of GAP tours were the primary preference of those who wanted to go on holiday, especially in the spring and autumn periods. However, both the great pain caused by the February 6 Kahramanmaraş-centered earthquakes and the serious damage inflicted on the region make it difficult to move towards here. Domestic tourist interest in provinces such as Gaziantep, Şanlıurfa, Adıyaman and Hatay is expected to remain at its lowest level until autumn. However, while attention is drawn to the healing feature of tourism in the development of the region, demands are made for rapid meeting of the needs of the region for recovery.
While the lack of cultural tours of the region is felt seriously, tourism options with one-day or one-night accommodation are on the agenda in destinations such as Cappadocia, Safranbolu, Amasra, Izmir, Bursa, Trakya region and Bolu.
Teyfik Ölmez, President of Cappadocia Touristic Hoteliers and Operators Association (KAPTİD), explained that the positive results of the holiday will be seen, “Short-term holiday options will be evaluated in the region. Of course, all kinds of holiday opportunities are in favor of tourism. We think the last-minute move will determine that.”
An intense tourism movement is expected in Safranbolu, which is on the UNESCO World Heritage List. Cappadocia and Amasra are also expected to attract a significant number of tourists.
LONG STAY OPPORTUNITY
Along with the midterm holiday, the holiday opportunity for families is suitable for longer stays. For this reason, in order to spend the remaining period of Ramadan, holiday options with accommodation between 3-5 days in all-inclusive hotels in the coastal regions, especially in Antalya, are also evaluated. Cyprus, which has warmer weather conditions during this period, stands out among the options again. For short holidays, options near Istanbul and Ankara are evaluated, and vacations with accommodation in places that have attracted attention recently, including caravans, tents and tiny house models, are also preferred.
Kaan Karayal, Chairman of the Board of Tatilsepeti, said that Antalya, Bodrum and Cyprus are mostly preferred for holiday and holiday accommodation, while Italy, Dubai and Thailand are the most booked options for international tours. Karayal said, “Prices vary according to the region and the number of people who will stay. Considering the mid-term break and holiday periods, it is possible to have a holiday with prices starting from 699 TL per person.”
FIXED RATE SYSTEM EFFECT
Tatilsepeti CEO Koray Küçükyılmaz emphasized that the lack of cities in the earthquake zone was noticed in cultural tours for this period, while Cappadocia, Black Sea and various Aegean tours were sold a little more. Küçükyılmaz said, “When we look at it now, there are more tours abroad that come to the fore. Especially visa-free abroad is preferred. This preference comes to the fore both with stable exchange rates and low exchange rate against inflation. Accommodation prices in the domestic market increase in TL with inflation, but remain stable for abroad. Now, towards the last days, domestic options are evaluated more. When we look at it in general, international holidays would be lower in such periods, but due to the reasons I mentioned, it is seen that 40 percent of the total travelers prefer abroad. It is normally difficult to find these rates this season."