In the domestic market, the number of bookings is already higher than last year, Saatçioğlu noted, as local holiday-goers are better able to take advantage of early booking opportunities than international travelers.
"We got 15-20% early reservations in the domestic market, but this figure soared to 80-90% this year, with about 40% of our guests coming in July and August doing so at a discounted price," he added.
Although Antalya is often compared to Greece throughout the season, Saatçioğlu stated that Greece was "not a competitor." One cannot find five-star all-inclusive hotels in Greece, he said, adding that all meals and drinks are included when visitors stay in those Antalya establishments.
Hüseyin Kara, the deputy chairman of the board of directors of a hotel in Alanya, a seaside district of Antalya, told Anadolu that since the start of the season, occupancy rates have consistently been at least 95%.
To accommodate the continuing bookings, he said, the season's closing was extended a month from Oct. 30 to Nov. 30.
