ISTANBUL, June 24 (Xinhua) -- Türkiye's domestic tourism experienced a notable resurgence in June, surpassing the expectations of industry insiders.
Officials from the Turkish Travel Agencies Association (TURSAB) have reported a strong start to the summer season, attributing the surge to the closure of schools on June 15 and the extended Eid al-Adha holiday from June 15 to 23.
"Our expectations from the international market for the summer season are already high, but the domestic tourism activities surprised us significantly," Hamit Kuk, chief adviser to the president of the TURSAB, told Xinhua on Monday.
Kuk noted that the occupancy rate was 100 percent along the entire Mediterranean coast and the Aegean coast, which was very promising for the sector to catch its ambitious target to host 60 million tourists and generate 60 billion U.S. dollars in revenue for the year.
Antalya province, known for its sunny beaches on the Mediterranean coast, saw a particularly high influx, with over 4 million visitors during the Eid holiday period alone.
"Approximately 1 million vehicles entered the city during this period, an extraordinary number for Antalya," he remarked.
Riza Percin, chairman of the TURSAB Mediterranean Regional Representative Board, told reporters on Sunday that Antalya Airport broke the record for the number of arriving airplanes twice consecutively last week.
"Compared to previous years, it was notably bustling. These were the most vibrant tourism days we've seen in the past decade," Percin stated.
Bodrum, one of Türkiye's most sought-after tourist destinations on the Aegean coast, also experienced a significant influx last week, recording 1 million visitors, according to the TURSAB.
In Istanbul, Türkiye's cultural and financial hub, museums and historical sites were filled with visitors, attracting 245,980 people during the Eid holiday, according to the National Palaces Directorate.
Kuk expressed satisfaction with the resilience of Türkiye's tourism sector amidst a challenging economic climate marked by high inflation rates which hit 75.45 percent in May.
"Despite the economic challenges, the fact that people are still able to vacation is very gratifying for us in the tourism industry," he noted, attributing the sector's resilience in part to competitive pricing strategies tailored for domestic tourists. ■
