Bayram in holiday resorts

Tuesday, September 30, 2008

Turkey welcomes the nine-day Bayram holiday last Friday evening. After school opens at the beginning of September, Turkish tourists leave holiday resorts, but this week is a very good chance to enjoy the last days of summer in holiday resorts. For those who have a chance to spend their holiday away from home, Turkey's popular coasts offer cheaper holiday alternatives for Turks as well as foreigners

ISTANBUL - TDN with wire dispatches

Turks and foreigners alike will be able to catch the last summer rays over the coming week. So as Bayram approached, tourist resorts around Turkey were busy preparing for the anxiously awaited nine-day holiday.

For Turks as well as foreign tourists, the holiday week is one of the last chances of the year to enjoy sea and sun at affordable prices in resort destinations such as Bodrum, Marmaris and Fethiye. Sector officials say they expect the tranquil Aegean city of Muğla's Akyaka district � famous for its natural beauties � to be visited by many tourists during the holiday. �We have a different concept of tourism. We don't give licenses to places playing loud music. Guests visiting the district have the opportunity to take a rest in nature. They join tour programs and enjoy magnificent coves during their holiday,� said Akyaka Mayor Ahmet Çalca.

Bodrum Hoteliers Association Secretary General Orhan Kavala said hoteliers were hopeful about the Bayram holiday. Kavala said the tourism season was still high in Bodrum, the popular Aegean holiday resort, adding: �The rate of foreign tourists is high in mid- to high-priced hotels. We receive extra demand from domestic tour agencies for the Bayram holiday. They ask for lower prices. We think that Bodrum will have a very good week.�

Noting that hotel prices during Bayram would be considerably lower than earlier high-season prices, Kavala explained that since holiday prices were lower compared to July and August, visitors during Bayram would be able to enjoy the same, maybe even better, quality service at a lower price. �The number of domestic tourists is lower in Bodrum. The coasts host foreigners. September and the first weeks of October are the best time for [Turks to] holiday in Bodrum. The coasts are empty. Hotel staff offer better service because they are not too busy,� he said.

Special packages in Fethiye

It's not just Bodrum's tourism industry that will flourish over Bayram. Fethiye Hoteliers Union Chairman Yavuz Torunoğulları said domestic tourists had made their reservations for the Bayram week. �Hoteliers have finished their preparations. We expect that Fethiye will be visited by a great deal of visitors. They can join daily boat tours and visit 12 islands and coves between Fethiye and Göcek.�

Butterfly Valley and Saklıkent Canyon are among the numerous places holiday-goers can visit. �Eşen Stream offers the opportunity for canoeing and Babadağ Mountain offers paragliding, which are very attractive activities for tourists. Ancient cities like Cadianda, Letoon, Pınara, Sidyma, Arsada, Xanthos and Patara, as well as an abandoned Greek village, Kayaköy, are among places worth seeing,� said Torunoğulları.

Marmaris awaiting holiday-goers

Southern Aegean Hoteliers Union, or GETOB, Chairman İlhan Açıkgöz said guests in the Mediterranean town of Marmaris could visit Günnücek, Yalancı Boğaz (Liar Strait) and Cennet Island. Açıkgöz said Marmaris was even more beautiful in the fall. �The town offers lots of alternatives for those who want to enjoy the last days of summer until morning hours and for those who want to rest in a natural and calm atmosphere,� he said.

He said hotels in Marmaris expected to be full during the Bayram week. �There are many foreign tourists at the moment. Hotels are now at 75 percent of their capacity, but it will rise to 100 percent with the arrival of domestic tourists, who left the region when the schools opened.�

Datça and Dalyan

For vistors opting to visit the Aegean town of Datça during Bayram, the head of the Dalyan Association for Tourism Culture and Environmental Protection, Meral Beltan, suggested visiting Gökçeler Bükü, Palamut, Hayıt, Kızılbük, Akvaryum and Lindos coves.

�They can also visit the ancient city of Knidos, the statue of Aphrodite, and the Burgaz and Sarı Liman ruins,� she added.

Beltan said visitors to another Aegean town, Dalyan, which is famous for the King Graves and Caretta caretta turtles, could see the Aşı and Bakardi coves as well as the Ekincik Gulf.

There is plenty of variety for visitors to Dalyan, including beautiful moonlit tours of the area. �Moon tours offer visits to Köyceğiz village and the canals of Dalyan and then come to İztuzu beach. Visitors can relax under the moonlight on the sea.�

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