Published : May 10, 2022 15:53 IST
T+T-
This year, with war in Ukraine, visitor numbers are down — meaning tough times ahead for Turkey’s tourist industry.
Turkey is one of the most popular vacation destinations in the world, with most international tourists coming from Russia. Last year, around 4.7 million Russian tourists visited Turkey. German holidaymakers were the second-largest group, followed by Ukrainians. But war and tourism don’t really mix. While Turkey is not involved in the war between Russia and Ukraine, it will feel the impact if the war in its tourism sector. There are already clear indications of this now, well before the summer season gets underway.
Drop in demand and bookings
This year, people in Turkey’s tourist industry are worried about the future.
“The hotel sector is hardest hit by the war,” says Firat Solakm, who runs a travel agency in Antalya, a popular Mediterranean resort town. “We should already be booked out for July and August, but there has been hardly any Russian demand, there are no bookings,” he tells
DW . Western sanctions levied on Russia largely explain this drop.
Many Russian airlines lease their aircraft from western companies. With western sanctions in place, if one of them were to land abroad, it could be seized. “Flights are the biggest challenge,” says Murat Yalcin Yalcinkaya, who heads the Antalya tour guide association. “Guests used to reach Antalya by charter flight, but that’s no longer possible; we are trying to work out a solution. In the past, we received 5,000 to 9,000 guests per day — this May, we’re expecting about 500.”
Flights suspended
Turkish companies are therefore seeking ways to get Russian tourists into the country. In the past, they simply flew to Turkey with Russian airlines and then back to Russia after their vacation. Now, Turkey’s government is working to get Turkish aircraft to transport foreign guests, explains Deniz Ugur, managing director of the tour operator Bentour, which specializes in…