Kartalkaya

The first snowfall of the season has dusted Türkiye's ski resorts, giving an early taste of winter that has sparked excitement in the tourism sector and raised hopes for a thriving season ahead.

With snow piling up to over 50 centimeters in certain areas, resorts are gearing up for their official opening in December.

Various regions of Türkiye have welcomed the relatively early arrival of winter as high-altitude regions of several provinces around the country witnessed the season's first snowfall.

Some regions of the northern province of Kastamonu experienced snow depths exceeding 50 centimeters after the recent snowfall. Teams worked diligently with graders to clear the roads in those areas.

In a surprising turn of weather events in mid-May, various regions of Türkiye defied the imminent arrival of summer with snowfall.

Snowfall blanketed high-altitude areas, transforming landscapes into wintry wonderlands but also disrupting travel plans for tourists and locals alike.

Uludağ, one of Türkiye's important winter tourism centers, has started to receive an influx of tourists as mid-term break started for 20 million students across the country.

Holidaymakers rushed to Uludağ after the first ski resorts opened to the public in the northwestern province of Bursa, indulging in skiing activities all day long despite fog.

Tremor-induced damages at the Kartalkaya Dam in the country's quake-hit southern region have intensified the struggle of farmers, compounding their already challenging circumstances.

With temperatures above the seasonal norms and a lack of snowfall, ski resorts across the country are facing a low influx of tourists as the occupancy rate of hotels is dwindling compared to the previous seasons, while ski resorts are using artificial snow to keep the tracks open.

Turkey's highest snow depth has been measured at the summit of Mount Kartalkaya, one of the significant and busy winter tourism centers located in Turkey's northwestern province of Bolu.

Thousands of people have mobilized in Turkey after the mid-term break at schools began on Jan. 21, and the country's skiing resorts appear to be one of the main beneficiaries of this two-week-long holiday even though harsh winter conditions, including heavy snow, continue to batter many provinces.

While snowfall is yet to begin, people have already started booking hotels in Turkey's ski resorts for the winter season, with many of these venues enjoying a heavy inflow.

Kartalkaya Ski Resort, a famous winter tourism center in Turkey, will continue to greet visitors throughout April due to the optimum level of snow thickness reached. (AA Photo)