Çeşme

The 13th Alaçatı Herb Festival, held in the western province of İzmir's Çeşme district this year, has witnessed vibrant scenes with the participation of hundreds of thousands of people.

Inspired by the "Towel Movement" in Greece, which aims to protest paid services on public beaches, activists in the Turkish Aegean holiday spot of Çeşme have thrown their towels on the shores of private beaches to demand full access.

Turkish composer and singer Karsu, who brings jazz, blues, pop, funk and electronic music together with modern tones, will give a special concert on the 100th anniversary of The Turkish Republic. Hosted by the Turkish Education Foundation (TEV), the concert will take place at the Çeşme Open Air Theater on July 20.

Turkish State Meteorological Services has issued an alert for some provinces as strong precipitations take hold of western Türkiye.

The gendarmerie units in the western province of İzmir have caught 446 irregular migrants between Aug. 15 and 24, İhlas News Agency has reported.

"Some three suspects involved in human smuggling have also been detained," the agency said.

Many resort towns in Türkiye's coastal provinces have become overcrowded with holidaymakers as millions hit the road to stop by the coastal provinces to enjoy the sunny weather, beaches and sea during the Eid al-Adha holiday.

As sanctions imposed on Moscow amid the war in Ukraine hits its aviation sector, Russia is now preparing to launch cruise ship tours to Türkiye this month.

The Astoria Grande cruise ship will hold tours from the Russian city of Sochi in the Black Sea to Istanbul starting mid-July.

The Turkish Coast Guard has saved more than 100 irregular migrants pushed back by Greek authorities off the Çeşme, Menderes and Foça districts in the Aegean province of İzmir.

According to a statement from the Coast Guard, the first group, consisting of some 76 people, was saved on April 22. Another group of 32 people was rescued the day after.

Holidaymakers are already searching for summer houses to spend their vacation in Turkey's coastal towns but only to find that rent prices have skyrocketed.

On average, the rent of an apartment in the tourist hotspot Bodrum, on the Aegean coast, is now around 30,000 Turkish Liras ($2,000), while prices for luxury units can go up to between 100,000 and 250,000 euros.

Caleb Ewan of Lotto Sudal sprinted to victory on April 10 in the first stage of the 57th Presidential Tour of Turkey to claim the right to carry the turquoise jersey of the leader.