172 thousand tourists came to Bodrum in the first 5 months: 'Fake reservation' warning issued

Bodrum, the attraction center for local and foreign tourists, continued to draw attention in the January-May period of this year.

The number of foreign tourists entering the district by sea and air exceeded 172 thousand in the first 5 months of the year. With schools closing on June 26, domestic market activity is expected to increase, and it was stated that there are holiday opportunities suitable for every budget.

Alişir Şahin, Vice President of the Bodrum Hoteliers Association, stated that more than 172 thousand tourists came to Bodrum in 5 months: "The number of foreign tourists arriving at Milas-Bodrum Airport from international flights was 144,700, and 27,700 came by cruise ships, totaling 172,400 foreign tourists. There is a 7% decrease compared to last year, especially regarding foreign guests arriving by air. Among the top 5 countries preferring Bodrum are the UK, Poland, Russia, the Netherlands, and Germany," he said.

'HOLIDAYS FOR EVERY BUDGET IN BODRUM'

Şahin continued his words as follows:

"Domestic market activity was experienced in May during the Eid al-Adha celebrations. With schools closing on June 26, we expect activity in the domestic market to increase. Holiday opportunities continue in our hotels. There is great variety in Bodrum. Hotels offer different services, primarily bed and breakfast concepts. Guests also prefer historical sites as well as entertainment, boat tours, and similar places. They don’t only come to the hotels; they spend time within Bodrum’s rich culture.

There are holidays for every budget in Bodrum. The season in Bodrum is limited to 6 months, with July and August being the high season. Prices increase somewhat as demand rises. The earlier you make your reservation, the more balanced prices you can reach. Prices start from 3,000 TRY per night and go up to 53,000 TRY."

FAKE RESERVATION WARNING

Şahin gave warnings about fake reservations: "Every year, unfortunately, there are fraud cases. They create a new site by changing one letter of a hotel’s website or by changing the phone number. Prices are below the real ones. This causes many victims here. As hoteliers, we are very saddened. People make holiday bookings, but there is no such reservation, and their money is lost. Holidaymakers must verify to avoid victimization. They should make sure to use a good agency, check if the phone number on the hotel’s website is correct, and verify whether the phone number is registered with the Ministry of Trade and the Ministry of Culture and Tourism," he said.

'WE EXPECT A GOOD SEASON'

Enver Kantarmış, Chairman of the Bodrum Regional Representative Board of the Association of Turkish Travel Agencies, said: "The activity started with Eid al-Adha. Then there was a one-week decline. Recently, activity has started again and is increasing day by day. Extra flights have started landing. There are especially new flights from Russia. Some of our tour operators had licensing issues regarding planes flying from Russia. This problem was solved as of June 2. We expect movement from the Russian market in the coming days. We expect a good season. Cruise tourists get off at the market and contribute to tradesmen. I can say that cruise passengers spend good money for day trips. The important thing is to treat guests well, not to deceive them, and to send them off happily; this is important for us," he added.