Istanbul (TAN): The Turkish government extending the Ramadan holidays to nine days could mean more revenue for the tourism section, believe industry experts.
According to a Hurriyet Daily News report, tourism associations believe this could bring in an additional TRY 3 billion (USD 500 million approx.) in revenue.
Last week, the government declared that public servants would be on holidays from June 3 to June 7, which effectively means a nine-day leave including the weekends before and after the festival.
“In the upcoming Ramadan holiday, we are expecting some 2 million locals to be on the move and 3 billion liras of additional revenue to be generated from this mobility,” the report quoted Turkish Travel Agencies Union president Firuz Baghkaya as saying.
Speaking to the state-run Anadolu news agency, Hoteliers Federation of Turkey president Osman Ayık said: “The earlier the government announces the changes into the holiday schedule, the better. Because people can make their holiday plans in advance…Business volume in the industry has already increased by some 20 per cent after the government announced its decision.”
