Kaan Kavaloğlu, the President of the Antalya Association of Touristic Hoteliers and Operators (AKTOB), reminded that the third week of March marks the start of the Nowruz period, signaling the arrival of spring. "This is a holiday period that concerns all the Turkic world, the Turkic geography. Nowruz heralds the coming of spring. Immediately following is the Easter holiday in Europe, and then comes the Ramadan Feast. If the holiday period during Ramadan Feast could be extended by a day, and if this could be announced in advance, we could be talking about a total of nine days of holiday," he said.
Kavaloğlu highlighted that last year's tourism season started very late, emphasizing that a nine-day Ramadan Feast holiday this year would mean the opposite. "A nine-day holiday would also lead to an early start of the season," he stated.
A boost for the tourism sector
The Vice President of the Turkish Hoteliers Federation (TÜROFED) and the President of the Aegean Touristic Enterprises and Accommodations Association (ETİK), Mehmet İşler, announced that as tourism professionals, they are advocating for the extension of the four-day Ramadan Feast holiday to nine days. İşler mentioned that a nine-day holiday would benefit both the citizens and the tourism industry, making an appeal to the authorities.
Low hotel occupancies in March
ETİK President Mehmet İşler discussed how the tourism industry aims to revitalize the sluggish periods of February and March, affected by the election season and the month of Ramadan, and to enable citizens to shake off the effects of winter, election period tensions, and to crown the spiritually high month of Ramadan with an extended holiday. "February was very sluggish for the tourism sector. Due to Ramadan and the elections, March is also experiencing quite low occupancies. The tourism industry has many taxes to pay besides the obligatory expenses for operation and employee wages. The sustainability of these payments is only possible if the enterprises are active. On the other hand, there are citizens who want to disperse the atmosphere created by the seasonal conditions and the election atmosphere, and fully celebrate the month of Ramadan with a proper holiday. An appropriate holiday duration would offer them an opportunity to visit their relatives, see friends and family, and for those who wish, to go on a vacation," he said.
