Turkish PM unveils plan to support tourism sector

Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu on Monday announced a plan to support Turkey's tourism sector through a grant of 255 million liras (87 U.S. million dollars) and measures to help tourism firms restructure debt.

Turkey does not expect shrinkage in tourism this year, Davutoglu told a press conference.

Turkey is especially popular with German tourists, but has seen demand fall after a suicide bomber killed 10 Germans in Turkey's largest city of Istanbul in January.

Also, Russians have been told to stay away by Moscow following Turkey's shooting down of a military jet last November.

"We believe Russian tourists will start coming back to Turkey," he said, adding that it is not ethical to change people's choices by political force.

He said that the tensions between Turkey and Russia should not be reflected on the "guests" who visit the country.

Tourism in Turkey largely depends on a variety of historical sites and seaside resorts along its Aegean and Mediterranean Sea coasts.

In recent years, Turkey became a popular destination for culture, spa, and health care tourism.

In 2011, Turkey attracted more than 31.5 million foreign tourists, ranking as the sixth most popular tourist destination in the world.

In 2015, tourism in Turkey declined due to Russian economic difficulties and political tension resulted from Turkey's downing of the Russian jet.

A series of terrorist attacks and mounting government crackdown on the outlawed Kurdish Workers' Party (PKK) have also strained tourism. Endit