Early bookings for vacations in Turkey's touristic seaside town of Bodrum in the southwestern Muğla province signal a better upcoming season during this challenging COVID-19 period, local tourism representatives said.

Many who wanted to spend their holidays safely isolated opted to visit the town thanks to measures implemented by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism that kicked off at the very beginning of the pandemic and issued the region a "Health Tourism Certificate."

Bodrum Hoteliers Union Association (BODER) General Secretary Orhan Kavala told Anadolu Agency (AA) Thursday that the summer tourist season in the town is expected to start in May next year.

“Our guests coming from abroad have already started to make their reservations for the 2021 tourism season. Reservations are going well for now. We are hopeful about the new tourism season. Our expectations are high,” he said.

Most of the early bookings are coming from the United Kingdom, Russia and Ukraine, he said, adding that they expect all the Bodrum hotels to open their doors next season.

Yüksel Aslan, the executive chairperson of the Turkish Travel Agencies Association (TÜRSAB) Bodrum, also told AA that the pandemic has, as expected, affected the sector’s mobility.

Stating the necessity to provide convenience to consumers for early bookings, Aslan said, “If we provide convenience and good opportunities for the customer, we can increase the number even more."

He stressed that statistics on tourist numbers show that Turkey was successful in its fight against the pandemic, and next year the industry will do much better.

“Our health system immediately intervened in existing patients and possible situations. This shows that the system is firm in the country,” he said, noting that this is what gives the customers confidence and that it should remain this way.