Before the holidays arrive, there is no place to step foot in Bodrum: they say ‘expensive’

The tourists arrived in the Bodrum district of Muğla before the party.

For the festive nine-day vacation, the first tourists from metropolitan cities like Istanbul, Ankara and Izmir flocked to the beaches.

Vacationers told SÖZCU about their experiences.

THEY ENTERED THE SEA WITH THEIR CLOTHES

Due to the temperature above 30 degrees in Bodrum and the sea water temperature of 20 degrees, some tourists did not leave the sea for hours, while others went into the sea with their clothes. Many of them did water sports and went on a blue cruise.

‘WE TAKE A SHORT VACATION’

Arzu Işık, 34, a retiree from Istanbul with her husband and 2 children, said: “We came for a 10-day vacation, my wife is also a retiree. Bodrum’s weather is perfect, the sea is beautiful, but the economy hit our vacation. Last year when we ate out as a family we gave 500TL, this year this price was 1500TL. Since we are going to pay, it is not possible. We take a short vacation from our entertainment and travel. In short, we are spending a holiday with great difficulties and sacrifices”.

WE COME LIKE BODRUM, BUT…

Businessman Bestekar Ay, who came on vacation from Ankara with his wife and son, said: “We came to Bodrum for the all-inclusive system. We used to go to the Mediterranean, Alanya, Antalya every year, this year we wanted to come to Bodrum. But we are sorry. We paid 45 thousand for a holiday in the Mediterranean for 25 thousand, but we were not satisfied, the rooms, the food are not good, Bodrum is very crowded, we could not find what we were looking for, but we are looking for ways. to spend our holidays well.

LIKE LIKE LIKE IT KEEPS COMING

Those who flocked to Bodrum with their vehicles for two days found it difficult to enter the city from Emin Anter Boulevard at Torba Mahallesi, at the gate. The 4 kilometer path was hard to beat in 50 minutes every once in a while. The traffic police and municipal police teams made a great effort to solve the traffic jam.

‘OCCUPANCY RATES REACHED 90 PERCENT BUT…’

On the other hand, Hüseyin Softa, head of the Bodrum Energy Association Tourism commission in the Bodrum district of Muğla, expressed the problems experienced in the tourism sector with his statements at the beginning of the season.

In his statement, Softa claimed that occupancy rates in Bodrum will reach 90 percent in July and August, saying: “The uncertainty that arose with the earthquake and the elections has come to an end. We estimate that the occupancy rate, which will reach 70 percent in June, will increase to 90 percent in July and August. We hope to have a very good season with the elimination of electoral uncertainty”.

Hüseyin Softa, who stated that although occupancy rates are good, there are many problems in Bodrum, stated that it is very difficult to explain this situation to tourists; “The works that cannot be completed in Bodrum affect tourism a lot. The roads are very bad. There is extreme environmental pollution. The building ban does not apply. Therefore, tourists entering the facility do not want to leave. We regret that we cannot recommend it,” he said.

‘CRAFTSMAN CANNOT DO THE JOB HE WANTS’

Softa said: “That’s why our traders can’t do the job they expect in Bodrum and have problems even though the premises are full.”

“We tourism professionals are doing everything we can for quality tourism, but the fact that Bodrum is so messy and troubled does not allow for high-quality tourism. We say quality tourism, but with such problems in Bodrum, quality tourism is not possible.

If there is no quality locally, it is a dream to expect quality tourism. It is very wrong to consider tourism only as a facility.

The tourist sees the service provided as a whole from the moment he leaves the airport or the ship until he leaves. Tourists who come to a dusty and dirty Bodrum do not leave Bodrum happy, no matter how high the quality of the facilities. We understand this situation even better with the lack of regular tourists in recent years.”