Citizens will not be able to go on holiday if they do not have a relative's house!

Lately I've been asking everyone around me, "Where are you going this summer?" If I ask, I get answers like "To my cousin's summer house" or "To my aunts' place." It turns out that this is not just the case around me, but all over Türkiye!

Turkish Statistical Institute (TUIK) announced "household domestic tourism" data for the second quarter of 2026.

Accordingly, 13 million 549 thousand people residing in the country went on a trip in the second quarter of this year. The total number of trips made within the country with one or more overnight stays decreased by 3.6 percent compared to the same quarter of the previous year, reaching 16 million 467 thousand trips. Those who traveled in this quarter made 85 million 890 thousand overnight stays. The average number of overnight stays was 5.2 nights.

According to the new data announced by TUIK, domestic tourists spent 154 billion 998 million 4 thousand liras on travel in the country in the second quarter of this year. The number sounds huge, right? There is an increase of 32.6 percent in expenditures compared to the same period last year. However, when we look at the details of the expenses and the types of accommodation, we see the real truth: A citizen will not be able to go on holiday if he does not have a relative's house.

"GRANDMOTHER HOTEL"

In the past, when it came to holidays, hotels, holiday villages and boutique hostels came to mind. However, the current level of accommodation costs has changed our route to budget-friendly, or rather "free" alternatives. Here are the facts that hit us with statistics: We stayed with relatives the most!

Of the total 85 million 890 thousand overnight stays in the April-June period, 61 million 192 thousand were spent at a "friend's or relative's house".

Hotel accommodations ranked second, with only 11 million 376 thousand nights stayed. "Own house" was recorded in third place with the number of overnight stays of 8 million 216 thousand.

"Visiting relatives" ranks first with an overwhelming 60.1 percent of travel purposes. The rate of those who set out directly for "travel, entertainment, holiday" remained at 33.6 percent.

WHERE IS THE TRAVEL BUDGET GOING?

So, if we found a free solution for accommodation, where was this 155 billion lira spent? The data shows that the largest share in total travel expenses goes to food and beverage with 31.6 percent, and transportation with 25 percent. The share of accommodation remains at 14.5 percent. In other words, we have to pay for the bus or gas to go to our hometown or to our relative's summer house, and we do not cut our corners wherever we go. However, when it comes to the hotel, we cannot meet the budget.