July Activity in Tourism Boosted the Industry's Morale
Ozgen Uysal, Chairman of the Western Mediterranean Regional Representative Board of the Association of Turkish Travel Agencies, stated that the summer season gained momentum in July, with hotel occupancy rates approaching 100%. Uysal noted that overall annual figures at Dalaman Airport were 6% behind last year, but July figures matched last year's, and they expect to surpass them in August.
According to a report by Real Fethiye correspondent Baran Ata Kölemen, Ozgen Uysal, Chairman of the Western Mediterranean Regional Representative Board of the Association of Turkish Travel Agencies, shared his evaluations regarding the current state of the summer tourism season. Noting a significant increase in tourism activity in the region following school closures, Uysal said that with July, the season entered a recovery phase. He mentioned that the regional density was even felt in traffic, saying, "With the schools closing, we began to feel the tourism activity quite well. The traffic congestion is one of the most important indicators of this. Our hotels have almost reached 100% occupancy. We expect this density to continue until early September when schools reopen."
Referring to Dalaman Airport data, Uysal stated that the total number of domestic and international passengers throughout the year remained 6% behind last year's figures but noted that this gap was closed in July. Uysal said, "In July, we caught up with last year's numbers. Data for August shows that we might exceed last year's figures slightly."
Despite the recovery in tourism, Uysal noted that expectations have not been fully met; tour sales reached an occupancy rate above 90%, but during the busiest period of summer, this rate should have been 100%. Saying "The season has recovered but not at the level we wanted," Uysal added, "Occupancy above 90% is certainly pleasing. However, all tours should have been fully booked during this period. Nevertheless, we currently evaluate the existing situation positively."
