Turkey has been hit by a mass exodus with hotels lying EMPTY as UK tourists “abandon” the country. One travel expert told the Express of quieter hotels in the country, with some tourists heading for Greece in the European Union instead.

Hamit Kuk, a prominent advisor for the Association of Turkish Travel Agencies, told the Express in August that some of the more affordable hotels in popular holiday destinations were only half-full, despite it being the height of the tourist season.

Kuk said: “There are no empty hotels or resorts as [some reports have suggested but] room occupancy rates were 100 percent in previous years. [I expect] two and three-star hotels to close in October, four-star hotels to close in mid-October and five-star hotels to remain open until the end of October.”

Mustafa Demir, Chairman of TURSAB’s Regional Representation Board, told Schengen News:. “Since fixed costs, such as electricity, personnel and hotel rents are fixed, while other food, beverage and cleaning costs are variable. Our hotelier colleagues made their calculations and made discounts so that at least the rooms would not remain empty, they could pay the staff and not lay them off.”

Sarah Donaldson, Senior Travel Claims Analyst at Fast Cover Travel Insurance, said of the trend in the country: “We understand that hyperinflation remains the primary cause of Turkey’s struggling tourism sector, as even foreigners find it hard to justify the cost of accommodation and dining.”

Florian Wupperfeld of LCD Ventures added in a statement as UK tourists head abroad for an autumn and winter getaway: “Turkey is a budget destination. The middle segment of people [that] feel the pinch with inflation are drying out faster than the luxury.

“The people with money still have money. Moving forward, Turkey will have a tougher time because they have moved towards this budget tourism.”