The economic effects of Turkey's long holiday break

"I am shocked by the tourist profile coming to Cunda these days. Where do they come from? Why do they come if they aren't going to spend any money?" That is what taxi driver from a village near the idyllic Aegean town of Ayvalık told me recently.

"Don't get me wrong, it's not shameful to be poor. But why take your children on vacation if you can't buy them anything they want? We used to host high-end tourists but Cunda is becoming increasingly busy, which makes higher end tourists stay away. And the new crowds only spend money on tea and ice cream," he said. 

Restaurant owners were apparently no happier about those tourists who are staying longer, in terms of their spending.

Obviously we cannot be judgmental about a family that prefers to take a daily cruise on a minimum budget. That is their choice and no one can chase them away because they are not spending money.

Indeed, one of the reasons that makes Greece a popular destination among many Turks is the fact that there you generally do not have two waiters circling around you to force you to order something every 20 minutes on a beach or in a restaurant.

But if taxi drivers are complaining about people using bank credit for even just a modest vacation, that should tell us something alarming about Turkey's economic situation and the projections being made for its tourism industry.

Some 20 million people are expected to travel during the Eid al-Adha (Feast of Sacrifice) holiday, which officially started for public officials on Aug. 26 after a 10-day extension. 

Some 15 million people are expected to travel by plane, train and buses, while 5 million people will use their own vehicles. Intercity buses are expected to transport a million passengers every day...