Smiles bloomed in Fethiye during the holiday, eyes turned to the summer season

As the 9-day Eid al-Adha holiday has ended in Fethiye, representatives of the tourism sector are making hopeful evaluations regarding the rest of the season.

Özgen Uysal, President of the Turkish Travel Agencies Association Fethiye Regional Representative Board, shared the intensity experienced during the holiday period and expectations for the summer season.

Uysal stated that the accommodation facilities in the region were largely full throughout the holiday and especially pointed out that the weather conditions partially affected tour activities.

Stating that some organizations could not be held due to rain and wind, Uysal said that despite this, the holiday period was successful from the sector's perspective.

Uysal said, "Our region was quite busy throughout the holiday. Our facilities were full. Although we could not carry out all our tour activities due to the weather conditions, our tours went at full capacity and were very busy for about three days.

We had to cancel some of our programs due to precipitation and wind. Besides, traffic congestion was also at a high level. When we evaluate it overall, we can say that we got what we expected from the holiday," he said.

Evaluating the reservation data for June, Uysal noted that there was a slight decline in the foreign market compared to last year, but the activity in the domestic market largely compensated for this decrease.

Uysal expressed that approximately a 9% decrease is expected in the foreign market until the period when schools close, stating, "There is an increase in the domestic market.

Looking at the total picture, we are reaching similar levels with about a 6% decrease compared to last year. The strong performance of the domestic market covers an important part of the loss in the foreign market," he said.

Emphasizing that the real activity of the tourism sector will start with July, Uysal stated that they believe the summer season will be very strong. He said demand will increase in both domestic and foreign markets after the schools close, and the current reservation numbers support this expectation.

Uysal predicted a busy season from the beginning of July to the end of September, saying, "The numbers show this. There will be full intensity in our region in July, August, and September. Moreover, the activity will continue in October. Many of our facilities plan to stay open until November 8 by extending the season," he said.

Uysal, stating that Fethiye's tourism stakeholders are ready for the busy season, said all sector components, from boats to transfer services, jeep safari organizations to paragliding companies, have completed their preparations.

Uysal said, "Our boats, transfer companies, jeep safari operators, and parachute companies are ready for the season. A very busy period will take place in our region starting from July. Our hope is to have a successful and prosperous season both for our sector and our region," he said.