Alanya Tourism Operators Association Chairman Burhan Sili warned, "Citizens who want to go on vacation in July should definitely make reservations and show preference to reliable websites." With schools entering vacation and exams completed, there are no obstacles for domestic tourists to realize their vacation plans. Families are flocking to hotels to escape the stress of exams and work that they and their children have experienced throughout the year. Burhan Sili, who is a Member of the Board of Directors of the Türkiye Turizm Tanıtım ve Geliştirme Ajansı (TGA) and the Türkiye Otelciler Federasyonu (TÜROFED), and the Chairman of the Alanya Tourism Operators Association (ALTİD), stated that citizens have been longing for vacations due to the pandemic, and added, "Occupancy rates in hotels have reached the highest levels in the last 3 years since the middle of June. Domestic tourists will be able to overcome the effects of the pandemic thanks to the vacation options in our region that are suitable for every budget." 'HOTELS WILL BE FULL CAPACITY IN JULY' Sili emphasized that July reservations are starting to run out, and said, "Although not all hotels were full in June, hotels in holiday regions will reach 100% occupancy in July. Currently, it is becoming difficult to find available rooms in hotels due to the reservations made for next month. Citizens who want to go on vacation in July and have not made reservations may experience problems finding places in hotels. Our citizens who will make reservations through internet websites should definitely prefer reliable websites." FOREIGN TOURISTS' PREFERENCE IS TURKEY Sili stated that foreign guests are starting to show more demand for Turkey compared to the pre-pandemic period, and added, "Reservations from especially England and Europe have increased significantly compared to the pre-pandemic period. The countries with the most reservations are England, Germany, Poland, and the Netherlands. The reservations of Asian and American tourists, who have been choosing our country less for vacation compared to previous years, have also increased." 2022 TOURISM TARGET WILL BE EXCEEDED Reminding that the Ministry of Culture and Tourism's 2022 tourism target is 42 million tourists and 35 billion dollars, Sili said, "It seems that this target will be exceeded. Turkey's tourism diversity is being advertised in 200 countries worldwide, and this will continue. There is a lot of work being done in terms of promotion and advertising, both on social media and on-site. Those who see the beauty of Turkey are already making their reservations." Photo by Phil Mosley on Unsplash