(Adds Jet2, details on British Airways)
By Ceyda Caglayan
ISTANBUL, Sept 27 (Reuters) – Turkey will be able to make up for the number of tourists lost after Thomas Cook collapsed earlier this week, Tourism Minister Mehmet Ersoy said on Friday, announcing that several airlines are expected to increase flights to the country.
Tourism is a major source of income for Turkey, helping to rein in its current account deficit, especially in the summer months. Around 40 million tourists visited in 2018, bringing in $29.5 billion, according to official data.
The head of Turkey’s Hoteliers Federation said on Monday that Turkey could miss out on 600,000-700,000 tourists a year following the collapse of Thomas Cook. The Tourism Ministry has said earlier that it was working with the Finance Ministry to extend a loan support package to businesses that were affected.
Speaking at a conference in Istanbul to announce Turkey’s tourism strategy, Ersoy said Easyjet had guaranteed that it will provide…
