Turkey’s tourism boom surprise

Photo: SunExpress

The tourism sector is enjoying a fruitful season thanks to the Eid al-Adha and the tourism facilities are expected to host nearly 500,000 visitors, Turkish Hoteliers Association (TÜROFED) Deputy President Mehmet Ä°ÅŸler told Cihan News Agency on Oct. 13.

“Despite negative impacts on the tourism sector, Turkish tourism continued to develop. The tourist numbers rose by 10.6 percent in the first eight months from the same period a year earlier,” he said. Ä°ÅŸler noted that the recovery in the tourism sector began during the holiday of Eid al-Fitr in August and was sustained in the Eid al-Adha.

Ä°ÅŸler stated that the sector was expected to contribute to the economy with 500 million Turkish Liras ($250 million) added-value in this period.

The Eid al-Adha takes place between Oct. 15 and Oct. 18, but the public sector’s employees will be on vacation during nine days, between Oct. 12 and Oct. 20, which motivated people to go on holiday to other cities. Besides, the majority of the employees in the private sector took Oct. 14 off to extend their vacation