Feature: Turkish people's Eid trips spoiled over rising fuel prices-Xinhua

Feature: Turkish people's Eid trips spoiled over rising fuel prices

Source: Xinhua

Editor: huaxia

2022-04-29 23:59:30

A worker fuels a vehicle at a gas station in Istanbul, Turkey, on April 26, 2022. During the Eid al-Fitr holiday, Turks usually return to their hometowns to visit elderly relatives or flock to take a short break in resort towns from the hustle and bustle of big cities. This year, however, many reconsider their plans amid the broad price surge. The fuel prices have skyrocketed along with soaring inflation and the sharp depreciation of the Turkish currency against the U.S. dollar. (Xinhua/Shadati)

ISTANBUL, April 29 (Xinhua) -- Cumali Karaman, a 45 years-old gas station manager in Istanbul, found the rising fuel prices have made the annual homecoming trip unaffordable for the fast-breaking gathering with his parents in eastern Turkey at the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

Last year, to spend the Eid al-Fitr holiday with families, he paid 1,500 Turkish Liras (about 101.08 U.S. dollars) in gasoline for a 2,200-km roundtrip between Istanbul and the eastern province of Malatya.

"Having the same trip now costs 3,500 to 4,000 liras, and of course, you should also consider bridge and highway fees," Karaman told Xinhua at the gas station in Kagithane, a district on the European side of Istanbul.

Turks usually return to their hometowns to visit elderly relatives or flock to take a short break in resort towns from the hustle and bustle of big cities.

This year, however, many reconsider their plans amid the broad price surge.

The fuel prices have skyrocketed along with soaring inflation and the sharp depreciation of the Turkish currency against the U.S. dollar.

The price of diesel has surged from 8 liras per liter in November to around 22 liras, and the price of gasoline is 19 liras per liter, up from 8 liras in the same period.

Media reported that gasoline prices are expected to rise by 1.33 liras on Saturday, the first day of the five-day holiday of the Eid al-Fitr.

Karaman said many Turks have left their cars at home, and this is apparent from the low sales of his station, which dropped to around 550 vehicles per day from the daily level of 800 visits six months ago.

To ease people's suffering from high living costs, the government increased the monthly minimum wage by 50 percent to 4,250 liras at the beginning of this year, which fell short of living in comfort.

"We do not expect much from the Eid al-Fitr holiday. We can barely make ends meet with the minimum wage we have," Necmi Demir, a worker at the gas station, told Xinhua while fueling a vehicle.

Demir said the station was fumbling to digest the crowd and long queues after recent media reports of a new price hike.

Demir has no car, and as his salary cannot afford bus tickets for his family of four back home, leaving staying in Istanbul the only feasible option.

Mustafa Gurdal, a university student and owner of a small business in Istanbul, also dropped the plan to drive home for the upcoming holiday due to soaring fuel prices.

Five months ago, he paid 800 liras to fill the tank. Now it cost him 1,350 liras, making it more "logical" to go to the western Izmir province by bus, with a roundtrip costing 400 or 500 liras, Gurdal said.

Turkey's annual inflation hit a new record high at 61.14 percent in March, featuring rising energy and food prices, while the lira has lost nearly 60 percent in value against the dollar since 2021.

A worker fuels a vehicle at a gas station in Istanbul, Turkey, on April 26, 2022. During the Eid al-Fitr holiday, Turks usually return to their hometowns to visit elderly relatives or flock to take a short break in resort towns from the hustle and bustle of big cities. This year, however, many reconsider their plans amid the broad price surge. The fuel prices have skyrocketed along with soaring inflation and the sharp depreciation of the Turkish currency against the U.S. dollar. (Xinhua/Shadati)

Photo taken on April 26, 2022 shows a gas station in Istanbul, Turkey. During the Eid al-Fitr holiday, Turks usually return to their hometowns to visit elderly relatives or flock to take a short break in resort towns from the hustle and bustle of big cities. This year, however, many reconsider their plans amid the broad price surge. The fuel prices have skyrocketed along with soaring inflation and the sharp depreciation of the Turkish currency against the U.S. dollar. (Xinhua/Shadati)

Photo taken on April 26, 2022 shows a gas station in Istanbul, Turkey. During the Eid al-Fitr holiday, Turks usually return to their hometowns to visit elderly relatives or flock to take a short break in resort towns from the hustle and bustle of big cities. This year, however, many reconsider their plans amid the broad price surge. The fuel prices have skyrocketed along with soaring inflation and the sharp depreciation of the Turkish currency against the U.S. dollar. (Xinhua/Shadati)

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