by Burak Akinci
ANKARA, July 6 (Xinhua) -- Burdened by economic hardships, Turks have increasingly turned to budget-friendly holiday alternatives such as motorhomes and caravans, despite an array of conventional hospitality choices being offered in a country full of popular destinations.
"With the current economic situation and rising prices in resorts along the (Mediterranean, Aegean) coastline, going on holiday is extremely difficult, we cannot afford hotel accommodation," Metin Goker, a retired civil servant from the capital city Ankara, told Xinhua.
As a 60-year-old free-spirited man, Goker and his wife have however found a way to spend several weeks of vacation at a much cheaper price by renting a camper van, or recreational vehicle (RV).
"Prices of a two-week holiday in a decent resort hotel can cost up to 60,000 lira (about 2,300 U.S. dollars) but with a motorhome, it's a third of this amount," Goker said.
The couple decided to upgrade to a medium-sized motorhome this year after renting a motor caravan last summer.
Since the COVID-19 pandemic, interest in caravans and motorhomes has soared in Türkiye. The nation's economic woes amid the cost-of-living crisis and the declining national currency have also pushed Turks for cheaper holiday options.
"Traveling in a motorhome, big or small, means independence. There are so many places to go," explained Sermin Caliskan, a nurse from the Western Aegean port city of Izmir.
"We bought a converted minibus last year and we use it whenever we can, otherwise with this inflation and economic problems, it would have been impossible to vacation," she told Xinhua.
Her family of four has found solace in the vehicle that they bought second-hand, escaping the daily grind and discovering the great outdoors in western Türkiye.
She however deplored the lack of sufficient infrastructure for caravan and RV users, pointing out that there are only a handful of camping structures in her region.
The manager of such a camping complex near Izmir told Xinhua that this summer it costs a family of four an average of 1,000 liras per night in a certified caravan camp while a hotel accommodation would cost at least three times higher according to this season's hotel rates.
Gezi Caravan General Manager Sait Belgi told the Hurriyet newspaper that the demand for caravan production has doubled this season due to high hotel rates and unaffordable summer accommodation prices.
While the Turkish government is forging a new economic plan to address the country's economic problems following general elections in May that saw the reelection of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the lira has continued its plunge.
Since the start of this year, the currency has lost around 30 percent of its value against the greenback, a big blow to the import-reliant economy.
Türkiye's inflation was just below 40 percent in May after it hit a 24-year high above 85 percent in October last year.
