Beach resorts in Turkey and Cyprus are slashing rates to fill empty rooms, as travellers postpone bookings amid the Middle East conflict and a trend toward last‑minute holidays. The result is a dip in occupancy during what should be the peak season.

In Antalya, prices fell 5% for August‑October, while Muğla – home to Bodrum, Marmaris and Dalaman – dropped 8%. Cyprus saw a 4% cut, and Egypt, after record growth last year, is down 10%.

Package operator On The Beach cited “reduced demand” for Turkey, with tourists leaning toward Spain. Steve Heapy, chief executive of Jet2, said the conflict hit bookings early, but recent “very good offers” have lifted demand. Not Just Travel’s Steve Witt reports a surge of last‑minute bookings, yet summer orders are still 13% lower than 2025.

Visitor numbers are slipping: 25.8 million people visited Turkey in the first half of this year, 2.4% down from 2025, while Cyprus fell over 10% to 1.7 million. Inflation and a hard currency have pushed Turkish prices up, forcing smaller hotels to cut rates. Despite this, Istanbul handled 8.15 million passengers in July, the busiest airport in Europe.