In April, with the improving weather and the impact of the holiday season, tourism started to experience its busiest times. According to search engine data, hotel searches reached their highest levels on April 11, which was the second day of Ramadan Bayram (Eid al-Fitr).

With the approaching summer months, which are also the peak times of Turkish tourism, this activity seems to continue unabated in May as well. In April, the most searched theme on Neredekal.com was All-Inclusive Hotels. Early Booking Hotels, on the other hand, became the second most searched theme, as holidaymakers looking to take advantage of the last benefits of this period searched extensively. With the warming weather and plans for seaside vacations, searches by holidaymakers looking to go on a beach holiday made Seafront Hotels the third most searched theme.

The most searched holiday destinations in April were respectively: Bodrum, Muğla; Cappadocia, Nevşehir; Fethiye, Muğla; Ayvalık, Balıkesir; Marmaris, Muğla. Muğla, which entered the April list with three regions, seems to be one of the favorite destinations of the 2024 summer, as it has been in other summer seasons.

With the start of the Culture Road Festivals held across Turkey, cultural tours are expected to be popular in May, and searches for the June Eid al-Adha holiday have already begun, signaling a busy May ahead. For example, festivals starting in Şanlıurfa on May 25 offer holidaymakers an opportunity for an alternative cultural trip. Gökhan Sivrikaya, CEO of Neredekal.com, stated: “Holidaymakers have had a packed start to the summer vacation season this year, starting with April. The search and occupancy rates in April brought the expected activity to tourism. In May, with the effect of the Culture Road Festivals and the weather, we observe that holidaymakers will turn to cultural tours. Important cultural points such as Şanlıurfa, Cappadocia, Van, and Trabzon are among the first preferences. On the other hand, we see that the movement in searches for the Eid al-Adha holiday has started. This activity will increase even more after mid-month. With schools going on vacation in June and the impact of the holiday, we will enter the summer vacation period in full swing. We anticipate that all of these will have an impact on holiday searches, reservations, and occupancy rates.”

Muğla Leads in Room Price Increase

According to the Consumer and Producer Price Indexes announced by the Turkish Statistical Institute (TÜİK) for April, after the education sector, the highest price increase was observed in restaurants and hotels with 95.82%. When data from over 23,000 properties listed on Neredekal.com is examined, it is seen that the average room prices in hotels increased by 89% compared to the previous year, rising from 1,709 TL to 3,224 TL in April. The highest room price increase was experienced in Muğla with 122%. Çanakkale ranked second with a 100% increase, while Istanbul ranked third with a 99% increase.