by Burak Akinci
ANKARA, June 6 (Xinhua) -- Turkey is suffering challenging economic woes and going on holiday can prove crippling for a family's budget. But many Turks do not despair as outdoor camping has become a trend for seekers of cheaper deals.
"There is a big interest in last few months for camping gear and outdoor material like tents, sleeping bags and equipment that goes with it," Huseyin, a salesperson of a big sports brand located in an Ankara-based shopping mall, told Xinhua.
He explained that many families who were novices of outdoor camping went to the shop to ask questions about equipment for spending their vacations.
Turkey is in a nine-day long Eid al-Fitr holiday until June 9, marking the end of the Muslim fasting month. The occupancy rate of hotels has hit nearly 100 percent in the country's Mediterranean and Aegean shores.
However, since a currency turmoil hit the country in the summer of 2018, Turkey has been experiencing economic difficulties that have pinched the Turks in their wallets, with high inflation.
So looking for vacations in a low budget has become a must for many families who also turned to online purchase deals for their vacation needs.
According to Mutlu Erdogan, sales director of major Turkish online store Hepsiburada, quoted by local daily Posta, sales of tents and other outdoor camping gear have doubled in the first four months of 2019, compared with 2018 figures.
"There is especially big interest for multi-room tents for stress-free family camping. Nowadays not only young people are seeking this kind of vacation spending, but also families," said Erdogan.
Holidaymakers who do not have the opportunity to stay at luxury hotels prefer a cheaper option in one of the many camping areas across Turkey.
Speaking to the state-run Anadolu Agency, Atiye Durmaz, an official of the southwestern Mugla province, said "accompanied by the natural beauty of the Gulf of Gokova, people from every corner of Turkey can spend their holiday by paying an affordable price like 40 Turkish liras (6.93 U.S. dollars) daily for everything including electricity here."
Noting that 300 tents and 50 caravans were located in this area, Durmaz added that the tent camp site, which leans back on the green mountains and spreads its skirts to the blue water, serves holidaymakers in the shadow of giant pine trees.
Speaking on the phone to Xinhua from a camping facility in the famous valley of butterflies located in Mugla, Davut Ozkan, a graphic designer from Istanbul, said that camping was an excellent opportunity to contemplate the nature's serenity without the burdens of modern technology or everything that comes with it.
"I wouldn't want to go anywhere but here. People who prefer this location are nature lovers. And it is also much cheaper than hotels," he said.
Located in Turkey's famous 500 km-long Lycian Way, the long-distance trail which takes its name form the ancient Lycian civilization who lived there, the valley, only accessible by water, is home to roughly 100 species of butterflies.
"The environment is good here. We don't have children, but some families have small children and they still manage to relax because the nature relieves you from the daily stress and the hustle of big cities," added the satisfied camper.
