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Roundup: Turkey receives fewer tourists this year, prompting concerns

Xinhua, May 31, 2015 Adjust font size:

The number of foreign travelers to Turkey has dropped in April for the first time, spelling troubles for Turkey's tourism industry.

According to the most recent statistics released by the ministry of tourism and culture, the number of foreign tourists to Turkey was down by 8.1 percent in April compared to the same period in 2014.

The drop came after the industry recorded 2.4 percent rise in March, following another lackluster rise in February with 2.3 percent.

Sharp drop in April reversed the pattern of rise usually seen in the holiday season.

The region that is most hit by the negative growth is Antalya, also considered to be Turkish Riviera.

The tourism revenue in southern province Antalya may drop by 1.5 U.S. dollars this year according to Davut Cetin, the president of the Antalya Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ATSO).

"The number of tourists visiting Antalya decreased by 255,000 from the previous year as of May 21, representing an 11 percent decrease," he said.

The decline is mostly attributed to the decrease in the number of Russian travelers who have been feeling the pinch of currency devaluation against the foreign exchange.

The opposition blames the government for the troubles in travel industry.

The main opposition Republican Peoples' Party (CHP) leading candidate in elections from Antalya province Niyazi Sefi Kara said mistaken foreign policy of the government in Syria and Egypt cost Turkey's tourism industry.

Niyazi Sefi Kara said the government's bad relations with the European Union (EU), pressure on the media, and interference into judiciary have tarnished Turkey's image as a safe vacation country.

Cetin Osman Budak, former president of ATSO and candidate on CHP ticket in elections, also lambasted the government for having bad relations from Libya to Egypt, from Syria to Iraq.

Some still believe that Russians may still decide to come to Turkey with last minute bookings, hoping to tap into significant discounts by the industry.

Hakan Duran, the general manager of RegnumCarya Golf and Spa Resort Hotel in Antalya, said Turkey can very well record the same number of Russian tourists it received last year, which was 4.5 million.

The decline is not only seen in the number of Russian travelers, but also in German tourists that come to Turkey.

Germany, the top country in sending tourists to Turkey, has seen some 40,000 less visitors in April this year compared with the same month last year. The drop was 9.5 percent.

Turkey received 36.8 million foreigners in 2014 and 34.9 million in 2013. It earned 34.3 billion U.S. dollars in tourism revenue in 2014 and 32.3 billion U.S. dollars in 2013. Endit