For extended Qurban Bayram, Turkish travelers opt for cruise tours

Bookings for the upcoming Qurban Bayram (Feast of Sacrifice) are nearly full for the extended nine-day holiday and local travelers going abroad seem to prefer cruise tours and visa-free travel, according to travel agencies.

This year's popular foreign tours are Greek islands like Thassos, Budva, a Montenegrin town on the Adriatic Sea and Halkidiki, a peninsula on the Greek coast. Derya Över, the sales manager at Cafe Tur, a local travel agency, said that foreign tours are very popular this year. "We recommend the Greek coasts for sea travelers," she said. The next high-demand tour package is tours to Bulgaria, Romania and other Balkan countries like Bosnia-Herzegovina and Macedonia.

Local travel and cruise agencies have already rolled up their sleeves for the upcoming bayram holiday and cruise tours offer tourists the chance to discover either the best of the Greek coasts or the Turkish Riviera.

Travel agencies have been recommending regular tours to Europe for Qurban Bayram. "If you seek an alternative route, we suggest a Prague tour. Numerous museums, cathedrals and churches await visitors in Prague, where tourists can discover an old culture in-depth," Över said.

Only Travel Marketing, another travel agency, also announced its tour programs, saying that Turkey's Aegean coasts are first choice for locals who will stay in Turkey during Bayram. "Marmaris in Muğla and near-by towns like Selimiye, Bördübet and Bozburun are full now." Cultural tours are another choice and travel agencies are arranging tours to Cappadocia, northern Aegean cities and the Black Sea region with special cultural activities.

This year, the extended Qurban Bayram will start on Sept. 12 for public institutions and many locals will be combining the weekend days.