* Fall in COVID-19 cases, vaccination surge encourages sector
* Russia halted tourist flights to Turkey on April 15
* Tourism revenues slumped by two thirds last year
By Ceyda Caglayan
ISTANBUL, June 22 (Reuters) – Thousands of Russian tourists began arriving in Turkey on Tuesday, boosting hopes for its tourism sector after a two-month suspension in flights imposed by Moscow due to concerns about a surge in COVID-19 cases in April.
Turkey’s tourism prospects have been revived by a sharp fall in daily coronavirus cases to around 5,000 from a peak of more than 60,000 two months ago, as well as an acceleration in vaccinations to more than 1 million a day.
The first plane arrived in Antalya from Moscow around dawn, carrying 132 passengers. Some 12,000 Russians were expected to arrive on 44 planes in the Mediterranean tourist hub of Antalya on Tuesday, state-owned Anadolu news agency said.
“In the last two weeks we are seeing better figures and better trend in daily reservations. Russian…