With hotels enjoying a reservations boost into October and November, the promise for the tourism season in Didim to extend deeper into the year could be on the cards.
Didim Tourism Association said hotel reservations continue for October and November, while hotel occupancy rates in Didim continue building in September.
Tourism Association President Melih Koyuncu said: “Hotel occupancy rates in September are around 90 per cent and we continue to receive reservations for October and November.”
Koyuncu stated that September and October are always important for Didim tourism professionals, but this year they estimate the season will be extended due to the heat.
Mr Koyuncu
Stating that we will continue to host tourists until the end of November, Koyuncu said: “September and October are the months in which our British guests often prefer us. We have many British visitors waiting for the tourist crowd to decrease to visit Didim. As the crowd decreases and the extreme heat dissipates, reservations are going up.”
Kaan Kavaloğlu, President of the Mediterranean Touristic Hoteliers and Operators Association (AKTOB), said that they have similar occupancy expectations for the Mediterranean Region.
In his statement, Kavaloğlu said, “I think the climatic conditions will allow the season to be extended. Based on the reservations received, we predict that the season may extend until New Year’s Eve.”
Mr Kavaloğlu
Stating that there are heavy reservations from some countries, Kavaloğlu said, “Especially Russia, Germany, England and Benelux countries seem to have extended the tourism season. Tourists will continue to come from Poland in winter this year. Poland is a rising market for us.
“Poles prefer Antalya in winter, while British tourists mostly prefer the Aegean Region and Didim regions.”
Tui extends Greece and Turkey season to November
Travel operator Tui announced this week plans to extend the season for Greece and Turkey to November in response to increased demand, after extreme temperatures over the summer disrupted some holidaymakers’ plans.
More people have chosen to holiday in the cooler autumn months after rising temperatures over the summer. Tui said demand for the usual final month of the season, October, was 8% higher than last year.
The Anglo-German tourism company, which operates hotels, aircraft and cruise ships, took 13.7m bookings for this summer, up 5% from last year and close to pre-pandemic levels, at 96%.
Sebastian Ebel, the Tui chief executive, said: “We have seen strong demand in the final weeks of the summer season which traditionally runs to the end of October. As a consequence, we recently announced the extension of the season into November in particular to Turkey and Greece, to cover demand outside the traditional summer season.”
Tui had been planning for some time to extend the season, which runs from April until November, as more people want to spend the winter in warmer climates or travel there for sports and cultural activities in the spring and autumn.
The company said its decision to extend the season to mid-November offered holidaymakers more flexibility over when they wanted to travel. Tui is adding about 30,000 seats on planes from the UK to other destinations.
Winter bookings at Tui have also jumped and are 15% higher than last year, despite a 4% rise in prices. It has sold almost two-fifths of its winter holidays in the UK.