Reservations at hotels and restaurants in Türkiye's northwestern Edirne have gained momentum together with Christmas and New Year holidays around the corner as the citizens from neighboring countries opt to spend the festive days in the city, Anadolu Agency (AA) reported Saturday.
The flocking of Bulgarian and Greek tourists to Edirne for the Christmas festivities has created a buzz in the city.
Tourists are making their purchases in the city's markets, bazaars and shopping centers.
Many tourists who will also celebrate New Year in the city have booked their reservations at hotels and entertainment venues days in advance.
Sezai Irmak, President of the Edirne Chamber of Commerce and Industry, told AA that there is a New Year's rush has been observed in the city, highlighting the contributions of the tourists to the city economy.
"The interest of tourists in Edirne continues to gain further momentum during the New Year. We are very content about this," Irmak said.
Furthermore, he expressed that businesses in the city have completed the necessary preparations before New Year, hailing the service provided by the merchants in Edirne.
"Many groups from Greece and Bulgaria arrive in Edirne. They have reserved their places in our hotels. They celebrate Christmas on Dec. 24, and similarly, there is quite a significant number of those who wish to welcome the New Year here," he explained.
"Welcoming a large number of foreign tourists alongside our local tourists is beneficial for us. Hotel occupancy is nearing full capacity at 100%, and restaurants are bustling. The spending of tourists contributes to a significant influx of foreign currency in Edirne," he added.
Can Pekbaş, the Edirne representative of the Tourism Hotel Managers Association noted that the occupancy rate in hotels has increased owing to tourists choosing Edirne for New Year celebrations.
Pekbaş said that they expect abundant mobility in the city, saying: "As every year, there is a demand from neighboring countries Bulgaria and Greece for New Year. We have made preparations to welcome our guests."
"We will do our best to make them to enter the new year in a beautiful way. We have a certain level of New Year demand. Tourists prefer to enter the New Year in Edirne. (And) Edirne's traders made good preparations in this regard," he concluded.