Seasonal Thermal Comfort in Turkey’s Coastal Tourism Destinations: A PET-Based Microclimate Study (2015–2020)

Peyzax — Tue, 29 Apr 2025 08:10:16 +0000

Where should you go in the summer months? According to microclimate data, which coastal cities in Turkey have the best climate? A new study, which reveals the critical relationship between tourism and climate with scientific data, made a splash in the international academic community.

The study jointly conducted by Faculty Members Prof. Dr. Mehmet Akif Irmak, Cihad Bilge, Prof. Dr. Sevgi Yılmaz from the Department of Landscape Architecture at Atatürk University Faculty of Architecture and Design, and Mehmet Emin Daş from the Ministry of Youth and Sports, was published in Pure and Applied Geophysics (SCI-Q2), one of the world’s most respected geophysics journals.

Research Topic: Thermal Comfort and Tourism

In the article titled “MicroClimate-Focused Thermal Comfort Assessment in Coastal Settlements with Tourism Activities”, a microclimate-based thermal comfort assessment was carried out in 15 important tourism centers located on Turkey’s Aegean and Mediterranean coasts. In the study, based on the PET (Physiological Equivalent Temperature) index, annual, seasonal, and day–night differentiated analyses were conducted; thus, it was scientifically revealed which cities are more comfortable during which periods of the year.

Seasonal Thermal Comfort in Turkey’s Coastal Tourism Destinations: A PET-Based Microclimate Study (2015–2020) 5

Why is it important?

This study offers significant contributions at both academic and sectoral levels regarding climate change, tourism planning, and regional development. Especially as extreme temperatures increase during the summer months, it clearly emphasizes the necessity of evaluating tourism destinations not only by temperature, but also together with parameters such as humidity, wind, and cloudiness.

In addition, thanks to the maps and data visualizations produced using geographic information systems (GIS), an opportunity emerges for local governments and tourism businesses to carry out micro-scale planning. In this context, the study offers concrete policy recommendations for both the tourism economy and sustainable urbanism.

In which cities was the study conducted?

In the study, microclimate-based measurements were carried out in detail in 15 important tourism centers located on Turkey’s Aegean and Mediterranean coasts. These centers were analyzed using 5-year data (2015–2020) obtained directly from meteorological stations.

The cities and central districts where measurements were conducted in the study are as follows:

City	Town / Tourism District
Balıkesir	Ayvalık
İzmir	Dikili, Çeşme
Aydın	Kuşadası, Didim
Muğla	Bodrum, Marmaris, Fethiye
Antalya	Kaş, Kemer, Serik-Belek, Manavgat, Alanya
Mersin	Silifke, Erdemli

These measured centers were selected in order to enable separate evaluations of both the summer and winter seasons. Thus, each location’s annual average temperature, humidity rate, wind speed, and PET (Physiological Equivalent Temperature) values were determined.

From the Aegean Region: Ayvalık, Dikili, Çeşme, Kuşadası, Didim, Bodrum, Marmaris, Fethiye
From the Mediterranean Region: Kaş, Kemer, Serik–Belek, Manavgat, Alanya, Silifke, Erdemli

This selection was made meticulously to cover Turkey’s coastal destinations that attract the highest number of tourists.

Çeşme

Which cities stand out?

According to the research results:

In annual averages, the most comfortable city: Alanya (15.4°C)
The regions with the most suitable temperatures in summer: Çeşme (17.8°C), Erdemli (18.0°C), Ayvalık (18.8°C)
The mildest cities in winter: Alanya (8.1°C), Silifke (5.3°C), Kaş (5.2°C)

This information represents an important decision support system, especially for authorities planning both summer and winter tourism.

Below, for each of the 15 coastal tourism centers examined in the study, the months in which they are most advantageous in terms of thermal comfort are listed according to the average PET (Physiological Equivalent Temperature) values for each month. This table serves as a decision-support tool that can be used to help tourists determine travel dates and to support local governments in seasonal event planning.

Month-by-Month Most Comfortable Tourism Centers (According to 2015–2020 PET Data)

Month	Most Comfortable Centers	Average PET (°C)	Thermal Comfort Range
January	Alanya – Silifke – Bodrum	7.3 – 4.4 – 3.7	Slight to Moderate Cold Stress
February	Alanya – Kaş – Silifke	9.6 – 7.3 – 7.2	Moderate Cold Stress
March	Alanya – Silifke – Bodrum	10.8 – 9.0 – 7.5	Moderate Cold Stress
April	Alanya – Silifke – Bodrum	13.3 – 11.2 – 10.9	Slight Cold Stress
May	Alanya – Silifke – Bodrum	16.5 – 14.2 – 14.2	Comfortable to Slight Cold Stress
June	Kaş – Silifke – Bodrum	18.2 – 18.4 – 18.5	Full Comfort Range (18.1–23 °C)
July	Erdemli – Çeşme – Kuşadası	18.9 – 19.0 – 19.7	Full Comfort Range
August	Çeşme – Dikili – Manavgat	19.0 – 19.9 – 20.0	Full Comfort Range
September	Kemer – Erdemli – Kaş	18.1 – 18.4 – 18.6	Full Comfort Range
October	Alanya – Silifke – Kaş	17.5 – 13.9 – 13.7	Slight Cold Stress to Comfortable
November	Alanya – Kaş – Fethiye	12.4 – 9.3 – 8.6	Moderate Cold Stress
December	Alanya – Kaş – Fethiye	7.4 – 4.6 – 4.5	Moderate to Strong Cold Stress

Fethiye

Notes:

PET (°C): It is the equivalent temperature value perceived by the human body. (See: Human Bioclimatic Comfort)
Thermal Comfort Range: 18.1–23 °C is considered “comfortable.” Values below this range are evaluated as cold stress, and values above it as heat stress.
Data were calculated using the RayMan Pro 2.1 software and were generated with 5-year data obtained from Meteoroloji Genel Müdürlüğü stations.

📖 To access the full article: 👉 [https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00024-025-03719-w](https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00024-025-03719-w)