Local tourism pins its hopes on extended Eid holiday

ISTANBUL

The extended Eid al-Adha holiday is expected to boost tourism activity, with travel spending during the period projected to reach 180 billion Turkish liras ($3.97 billion).

“Reservations made through travel agencies clearly point to strong consumer demand for travel during this period,” said Firuz Bağlıkaya, president of the Association of Turkish Travel Agencies (TÜRSAB).

He emphasized that extending the holiday to nine days is highly valuable not only for the tourism sector but also for more than 50 related industries. “Especially at a time when geopolitical developments are deeply affecting global tourism, we believe this decision will make a contribution to the national economy,” Bağlıkaya added.

“During the Eid holiday, cultural tours are especially preferred. However, with warmer weather, coastal hotels in the southern regions are also in demand. Demand is concentrated mainly in the Mediterranean, Aegean and Northern Cyprus destinations,” he said.

Among international destinations, Bağlıkaya highlighted Balkan tours due to visa-free travel, while Egypt, the Greek Islands, Italy, Spain, France, Portugal, Benelux, Greece, Japan, Bali, Thailand and the United States are also attracting interest.

He noted that domestic prices have risen by 25 percent compared to last year’s Eid holiday. Abroad, prices in foreign currency remain largely the same, but longer tour durations this year mean higher overall costs.

“On average, for Eid al-Adha, five nights for two people in all-inclusive domestic stays start from 30,000 lira,” Bağlıkaya explained.

He also estimated that around 10 million people will travel during the holiday in Türkiye, including visits to hometowns and relatives.

“We expect about 2.5 million of these trips to directly involve domestic and international tourism activities. Altogether, these journeys are projected to generate an estimated volume of 180 billion liras,” he said.