Recent quakes at Greece’s Santorini push tourists to Türkiye

The recent earthquakes impacting some of the Greek islands, particularly the widely popular summer spot Santorini, have prompted concerns and left tourists to reconsider their travel plans and opt for Türkiye, according to a report on Saturday.

The seismic activity in the Aegean Sea has impacted tourism on islands like Santorini and Yamurgi, which host millions of tourists annually.

Tourists considering vacations on the islands, which widely rely on tourism inflows, are canceling their reservations because of recent tremors and are instead considering Türkiye as an alternative destination.

Early bookings for Turkish holiday destinations indicate that holidaymakers are altering their plans, with many avoiding or canceling reservations for the Greek islands, according to Mehmet Işler, vice president of the Turkish Hoteliers’ Federation (TÜROFED).

Reservations are increasingly shifting toward the Turkish resort towns, according to Işler.

“Of course, we do not want such disasters to happen, but the fear caused by the earthquake, especially in Santorini, and the tendency for people not to make or cancel their reservations there this year continues. As two countries where we share the same sea and sun, we see reservations shifting more to Bodrum and Muğla regions,” he told the Anadolu Agency (AA).

He also said that the Çeşme resort area in the western province of Izmir looks good as a new destination and that more tourists can be attracted by promoting Izmir in the best way possible at fairs.

Moreover, according to Işler, those holidaymakers who avoid the Greek islands now prefer destinations like Egypt and new destinations such as Antalya, Fethiye, Marmaris, and Bodrum.

“This new tourist profile, which had not previously visited Türkiye, is an opportunity for us. We can turn this in our favor through high service quality and competitive pricing. We are now faced with a new market and a new customer portfolio,” he explained.

Orhan Belge, president of the Çeşme Association of Tourism Hoteliers and Operators, said that Greek tourism, particularly on the islands, is facing challenges in terms of early reservations.

“The increase in early reservations shows that tourists are shifting from Greece to us,” he said.

“Çeşme has everything: sea, sand, sun, history, festivals, gastronomy,” he added, conveying the aim to catch up and surpass 2019 and previous years after lower momentum in 2023 and 2024.

“This year will be a good year for Çeşme,” Belge maintained.