Türkiye's Aegean coast is holding on to its holidaymakers well past the summer peak. Hotels in Bodrum reached 85% occupancy in the second half of September, Hürriyet Daily News reported on Sept. 19, while hoteliers further north in Izmir and Aydın told Anadolu Agency that bookings are holding up into late October.
Ömer Faruk Dengiz, head of the Bodrum Hoteliers Association, described the period from Sept. 15 to Oct. 31 as a "yellow summer" of quieter beaches and temperatures still above 30°C. He said the season could run until Nov. 5 or even Nov. 10, with flights continuing and hotels open.
Bodrum received 780,000 foreign tourists by air and sea in the first eight months of the year. Milas-Bodrum Airport handled more than 687,000 international passengers between Jan. 1 and Aug. 31, about 2% fewer than a year earlier, while cruise arrivals reached 93,000. The UK, Poland, Russia and Germany were the leading markets.
Retirees and new flights
Enver Kantarmış, Bodrum regional head of the Association of Turkish Travel Agencies, said European retirees increasingly favour autumn, and additional flights from Lithuania and Latvia began on Sept. 1. Budget-conscious visitors can find bed-and-breakfast rooms for two in local guesthouses from 4,000 liras a night, while four- and five-star packages were quoted at 10,000 to 12,000 liras.
Izmir and Kuşadası
In Izmir, Bülent Tercan, vice president of the Aegean Association of Touristic Businesses and Accommodations (ETİK), said occupancy climbed from 50% in June to 90% in July and full capacity in August, before settling around 55% in September. Some properties in Selçuk, the town next to Ephesus, and the resort of Çeşme had reservations of 80% through Oct. 30.
Tacettin Özden, who heads the Kuşadası Hoteliers Association, said April to June fell short of expectations because of geopolitical developments, but business picked up from early July and September was also going well. He said the strong second half had offset much, though not all, of the earlier losses.
For travellers, autumn on the Aegean offers easier access to sites such as Ephesus, the House of the Virgin Mary, Miletus, Priene and Pamukkale without midsummer heat and queues.
Sources
- Bodrum hotels hit 85 percent occupancy in late summer – Hürriyet Daily News
- Aegean tourism season stays hot as Türkiye eyes October – Türkiye Today
Photo: Slyronit / CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
