Turkish tourism witnesses hope after waning of the pandemic

Published on : Monday, July 26, 2021

The vitality in Turkey’s domestic tourism during the Islamic holiday Qurban Bayram, also known as Eid al-Adha, brought hope to the industry that witnessed a distressed season last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The demand for the country’s touristic places became so high that the figures crossed that of 2019, which was dubbed as the best year for the industry.

Turkey Hoteliers Federation (TÜROFED) head, Sururi Çorabatır, said that they were happy with the domestic market performance during the holiday.

“In the domestic market, the figures of 2019, which was our best year in tourism, have been exceeded. We are at least 30% above the figures we had reached in the domestic market in the period that includes the 2019 Eid al-Adha holiday period,” Çorabatır said.

The number of foreigners visiting Turkey was also high with the country witnessing vacationers from more than 50 countries.

Russian vacationers comprised the majority of the country’s foreign tourists, while many tourists from countries including Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, Bulgaria and Slovakia also preferred visiting Turkey.

“Tourism activity makes everyone smile, not just tourism professionals,” said Çorabatır, and added that they expect tourism activity to continue like this through the summer season.

Çorabatır said that every region in Turkey, from the coastline to the central parts, attracts domestic and international tourists.

The popular Cappadocia region was leading the tourism demand. The picturesque region is a charming touristic hub in the central Nevşehir province, known for its characteristic fairy chimneys, underground cities, cave hotels and hot-air balloon rides.