“Down” tourism in Turkey: a 28% Drop in arrivals

The number of foreign visitors to Turkey declined by 28% in April, according to official figures that…
published. It is the largest drop in the last 17 years, while the relations of Ankara with Russia remain strained, and the country has been shaken by a series of bombings.
This fall is an indication that the Turkish economy will receive further pressure in a time period where it recorded a slowdown in exports and weakness in investment in the private sector.Some economists predict that revenue from tourism will be reduced by 25% this year, a rate that is equivalent to a cost of about $ 8 billion, i.e. 1% of GDP.
This reduction does not constitute a good omen as Turkey is heading towards the peak tourist season, the period i.e. May to August, during which the European holidaymakers flock to the coast in the southern part of the country.
“As we move towards the period with the highest number of arrivals in tourism, the deterioration in the statistics of the tourism sector is becoming increasingly important,” noted Denise Τζιτσέκ, an economist at Finansbank in a document to their customers.Tourism declined by 28,07% on an annual basis in April, with 1.75 million arrivals this month, according to the data.
It is the most important decline since May 1999, when the separatist organization of the Labour Party, Kurdistan (PKK) launched a campaign of bombings and warned tourists not to visit the country after the capture of the leader Abdullah Ocalan.
The number of Russian visitors has been shrinking, recording a fall of nearly 80%, according to the data.Traditionally Russian tourists were among the groups of foreign tourists who visited bulk Turkey after the Germans, however, stopped to choose it as a tourist destination after the shooting down of Russian aircraft from the Turkish air force in Syria last year.
The number of Germans also has been reduced by 1/3 and now.”The significant drop in tourist arrivals this year has not been limited to Russia and extended to all the major tourist partners of Turkey, to some extent,” pointed out the Τζιτσέκ.
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