Secondary residences such as summerhouses in Turkey have now become a trend among local tourists after hoteliers narrowed capacity and increased prices due to increasing demand from foreign tourists.

Depending on their distance to the sea, location, size and whether they include pools, daily rent for summerhouses range between TL 200 and TL 8,000.

It is being reported that there will be no vacancies in summerhouses mainly located near the Aegean and Marmara as of June until the end of September.

Mücella Tarhan, chairwoman of the Home Tourism Committee of the Turkish Travel Agencies Association (TÜRSAB), said around 5 million local tourists will be spending their holidays at summerhouses in the said period, noting that this figure could even reach 10 million when family, friends and relatives are included.

Tarhan said 10-day to 15-day rentals have further increased in recent years. "The family structure is now changing. Spouses are usually both working and the longest holiday durations are 15 days," she noted, emphasizing that extra demand has emerged this year.

She remarked that this demand could be the result of increasing hotel prices. "In the recent period, particularly families with children, prefer renting summerhouses because it suits their budgets more."

Tarhan, however, said secondary residences are not listed under register in Turkey, indicating that TÜRSAB has initiated a legislative study regarding the issue. She also pointed out that around 1 million foreign tourists spend their holidays at secondary residences.

Tourists spending their vacations at summerhouses are making a serious contribution to the region's tradesmen and create significant economic volume, according to Tarhan, who suggested that foreign tourists staying at summerhouses spend a minimum of 750 euros ($836) in 10 days, while local tourists spend around TL 3,000.

Summerhouses will enjoy an increase in demand parallel with the increase in the number of tourists in the coming years, the chairwoman of Home Tourism Committee of TÜRSAB said. "This situation has turned the route of investors toward secondary residences. If the house is in the right location, the investment pays for itself in five to six years on average," Tarhan concluded.