Driven by soaring interest in ski resorts and thermal facilities, the reservations ahead of the midterm break in Türkiye have surged by around 15% compared to a year ago, a tourism industry representative said Tuesday.

Emphasizing that the midterm break, which comes following the New Year holidays, created a tourism rush within the country, the deputy chairperson of the Turkish Hoteliers Federation (TÜROFED), Mehmet Işler, acknowledged the facilities conducted necessary preparations within this period.

Speaking to Anadolu Agency (AA), Işler mentioned that almost all tourism facilities were fully booked during the New Year, concluding 2023 positively.

Reiterating the rise in reservations of 15%, Işler said, "Ski resorts and thermal facilities receive the most attention in this period. Our semester holiday is already going very well."

"Children are our most important elements during the midterm break. We provide special study areas, games, music and collective entertainment opportunities for the children," he explained.

"We also offer instructive and educational activities for them, including features like indoor pools, especially spa, wellness, and natural therapy walks," he added.

Furthermore, he underscored the exceptional flow of reservations, especially in ski resorts like Uludağ and Palandöken, along with thermal facilities.

"Especially the Sapanca region near Istanbul, Uludağ in Bursa, thermal facilities in Denizli and Afyonkarahisar, coastal facilities in the Aegean and Mediterranean, continue to accept reservations for the midterm break," said Işler.

"The tourism sector will enter 2024 with prosperity during the midterm," he noted.

"Current occupancy rates are particularly around 90% in ski resorts and thermal facilities. It seems that as the holiday approaches, these reservation occupancies will increase."

Işler also expressed that Turkish tourism successfully completed the year 2023 and believed that 2024 would be a successful year with the collaboration of the state and the sector.

"We anticipate surpassing the figures of 2023; we predict that it will be the best year ever, but only if everything continues in this way," he said.

The first semester of the academic year will end on Jan. 19, with the midterm break starting on Jan. 22. Students are set to return to classes beginning on Feb. 5.