İstanbul residents are canceling vacation plans in order to stay in the city and vote in a new mayoral election slated for June 23, a top tourism official told the state-run Anadolu news agency on Thursday.
After the Supreme Election Board (YSK) ordered that a new election be held on June 23, some 90 percent of Istanbulites applied to cancel their package tours or change their vacation date, said Firuz Bağlıkaya, head of the Association of Turkish Travel Agents (TÜRSAB).
“Customers who purchased travel insurance can get a full refund if they cancel their trip no more than three days before the holiday starts,” he added.
Millions of Turks cast their votes nationwide in local elections on March 31 to choose mayors, city council members and other officials for the next five years.
The YSK on Monday announced that a new election would be held in Istanbul on June 23 after objections were lodged by the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) to the mayoral election results in İstanbul.