‘Yellow summer’ crowds keep Türkiye’s southern resorts busy

ANTALYA

Tourism activity remains strong across Türkiye’s southern Mediterranean and Aegean coasts, where the so-called “yellow summer” period in September is drawing high hotel occupancy and crowded beaches despite the end of the peak holiday season.

Resorts in the country’s most well-known tourist regions are reporting steady momentum, while operators highlight the role of early reservations and favorable autumn prices in keeping the season alive.

In the southern province of Antalya, often referred to as Türkiye’s tourism capital, sea temperatures circle around 30 degrees Celsius, luring both foreign visitors and residents to the city’s famous beaches.

With temperatures ideal for swimming, both residents and foreign tourists enjoy water sports and sunbathing.

In the town of Alanya, the start of the school year has shifted the crowds almost entirely to international tourists, with the famous beaches filled with holidaymakers well into September.

In the Aegean province of Aydın’s touristic Kuşadası, hotels report 80 percent occupancy in September and October, supported mainly by visitors from Germany and the U.K.

According to the Turkish Hoteliers Federation, five-star resorts currently charge 4,000 to 8,000 Turkish Liras ($96 to $193) per person per night, while smaller facilities offer stays for 1,500 to 2,000 lira ($36 to $48).

Despite schools reopening, local tourists continue to flock to the tourist region.

Kuşadası is also maintaining its position as Türkiye’s leading cruise port, welcoming 400 cruise ships and about 679,000 passengers between January and August, a 30 percent increase from last year.

The total is expected to reach 1 million passengers by year’s end.

In the southwestern city of Muğla’s Bodrum, one of the country’s best-known destinations, hotels are similarly more than 80 percent booked, according to the local hoteliers’ association.

The tourist district hosted 775,000 foreign visitors in the first eight months of the year.

Association chairman Ömer Faruk Dengiz said early bookings, made largely in winter, were key.

“Nearly 60 percent of sales came from the early reservation period. Without it, Bodrum would have lost far more [tourists than it lost this summer],” he noted.

He added that September offers more affordable prices compared with peak season, while hotel bookings remain strong.

Tourism operators across the southern coasts expect the “yellow summer” to extend through late October, with favorable weather, competitive prices and strong international demand ensuring a smooth close to 2025 and an early start for the 2026 season.