After a year of turmoil, including a military coup and a downed Russian jet, Antalya, Turkey, is hoping that tourism will improve in the coming year, reports the Daily Sabah.
"Russia lifting its ban on chartered flights to Turkey, following the normalization process between Ankara and Moscow, is the main reason behind this hope," says the paper.
The crisis with Russia was a major setback for tourism in Turkey.
"Described as a fragile sector, tourism, which this year survived all the bad scenarios that could be possibly experienced at once, saw a nearly 45 percent decrease in the number of tourists," reports Talat Oztuzsuz.
A government stimulus is currently keeping the tourism sector afloat, as is a healthy amount of domestic tourism. However, hopes are higher for a solid 2017.
"With improved relations between Russia and Turkey, expectations for the tourism sector in 2017 are positive," says Oztuzsuz.
[READMORE]READ MORE: Greece Prepares for Drop in Cruise Tourism [/READMORE]
Association of the Mediterranean Tourism (AKTOB) Chairman Yusuf Hacisuleyman told the Daily Sabah that "due to lifting the ban, 2017 would be much better than 2016 for the tourism sector."
Hacisuleyman is not alone as officials from the Professional Hotel Managers Association also believe that, with the return of Russian tourists, the country could once again host more than 3 million Russian tourists.
For more on the return of tourists to Turkey, read on here.
For the latest travel news, updates and deals, subscribe to the daily TravelPulse newsletter.
Topics From This Article to Explore
