Ali Onaran

Hoteliers in Türkiye's main ski resorts are optimistic that occupancy rates will be around 100 percent during the school break, which will start on Jan. 19.

Many people are expected to go on vacation during the winter break, which will give a boost to local tourism activity. The country's ski resorts will be one of the main beneficiaries of the short break.

Tourism activity is expected to spike after Greece decided to exempt Turkish citizens from Schengen visa requirements for seven days to visit the eastern Aegean islands, representatives from the Turkish tourism industry have said.

Representatives of the Turkish tourism industry have voiced concern that they are already feeling the impacts of the conflict between Hamas and Israel, with operators saying bookings for Egypt tours have gone down by 50 percent.

Hopes are running high among Turkish tourism companies that the country may finally lure more tourists from China as Beijing this week lifted a COVID-era ban on outbound group tours to foreign countries.

Türkiye can lure many more foreign tourists into the country if it diversifies products and services it offers to travelers, according to the representatives of the industry.

Holiday bookings have started to pick up at the end of March after both local and foreign holidaymakers either delayed or cancelled travel plans in the wake of the devastating earthquakes in early February.