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Wildfires in Turkey do not dent Russian demand for holidays
Wildfires in Turkey have not reduced demand among Russian tourists. According to the Association of Tour Operators of Russia, Turkey remains the leading foreign destination for the autumn season, accounting for about half of tour sales with arrivals in September and October. Tour operators have also reported no mass complaints or trip cancellations related to the situation in Antalya.
RuskiGazeta Editorial DeskUpdated:
Wildfires in Turkey’s Antalya province have had no noticeable impact on Russian tourists’ plans. Despite reports of fires in several areas of the region, demand for holidays in Turkey remains high, and tour operators have recorded no mass cancellations or postponements.
Maya Lomize, executive director of the Association of Tour Operators of Russia, said this.
ATOR: Fires have not affected demand
Lomize said forest fires are a seasonal phenomenon that Turkey’s tourism market regularly faces and that they are currently not changing the behavior of Russian travelers.
Asked about the fires’ impact on demand among Russians, the head of ATOR said there had been no significant effect.
According to the association, Turkey continues to rank first among the foreign destinations Russians choose for autumn holidays.
About half of all sales of foreign tours with arrivals in September and October are for Turkey.
No complaints from Russian tourists
The Russian Union of Travel Industry also said that tour operators had received no complaints from holidaymakers in connection with the fires in Antalya province.
According to major tourism market participants, the situation has not led to a noticeable decline in bookings.
Resort infrastructure continues to operate, and the main tourist areas are receiving holidaymakers as usual.
Fires brought under control
By September 11, the situation with the wildfires in Antalya had begun to stabilize.
Fire outbreaks in the Kumluca and Serik districts were brought under control, while the fire in Aksu was largely contained. Turkish firefighters continue cooling operations in the affected areas.
Russian Be-200 amphibious aircraft also took part in fighting the fires.
At the most difficult stage of the firefighting operation in Aksu, more than 1,000 people, about 15 aircraft and approximately 170 firefighting tankers were deployed.
Hundreds of residents were evacuated from the Aksu area as the fire spread.
However, the main fire zones were located away from areas with a high concentration of tourist facilities and hotels, so the situation had virtually no impact on visitors’ holidays in Antalya.
Turkey remains the leading foreign destination for Russians
The situation confirms Turkey’s strong position in the Russian tourism market.
Turkey also ranked first among foreign destinations for Russian tourists during the summer 2026 season. According to ATOR, it accounted for 57% of summer bookings for foreign tours.
The trend is continuing into the autumn season.
In September and October, Turkey continues to account for about half of organized foreign tour sales from Russia, making it one of the key destinations for the late-summer and early-autumn season.
Antalya remains particularly popular because of its warm weather in early autumn, developed hotel infrastructure, all-inclusive offerings and the large number of direct flights from Russian cities.
The tourist season continues
Despite the fires, tour operators have so far seen no signs of a significant change in Russian travelers’ plans.
The absence of mass cancellations and complaints shows that tourists continue to view Turkey’s resort areas as an affordable destination for an autumn holiday.
At the same time, Turkish authorities continue to monitor and control the wildfire situation, and tourists are advised to follow official information when traveling to areas near the fire zones.
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