Turkey's tourism industry counts cost of unrest as holiday bookings fall by 50%

Turkey’s tourism industry continues to suffer as a result of terrorist attacks in the country, with summer bookings down by up to 50% on 2015, according to holiday firms.

The latest attack, a suicide bombing in central Istanbul on 19 March, killed five and took place just six days after a bombing in Ankara that killed 37 people.

Turkey has experienced six bombings in the past eight months, with President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan stating that the country is suffering “one of the biggest waves of terrorism in its history”. This, combined with a decline in Russian tourists caused by sanctions imposed by Moscow after a Russian warplane was shot down by Turkish forces in Syria, has significantly affected the tourist trade.

In January it was reported that Turkey expects to lose 4.5 million Russian tourists – its second biggest visitor group – after the country effectively banned tours to the country.

Tourism accounts for around 11% of Turkey’s GDP and provides employment for over a million people. According to the Wall Street Journal, hundreds of hotels, B&Bs and boutique resorts have already been put up for sale.

“This year so far has undeniably been hard for bookings to Turkey,” said Akin Koç, owner of Anatolian Sky Holidays, which has been running holidays to Turkey for 25 years.

“January and February are traditionally a busy time for us, as people book their summer breaks, but to date bookings to all our Turkish destinations are down by around 50%, which is very concerning.”

Package holidays to coastal resorts have been the worst affected, with customers choosing to switch to other destinations. Major operators have been shifting aircraft and accommodation options to the western Mediterranean.

“I understand that the Spanish coast is filling up already and prices are being driven up by demand,” says Koç.

Other operators are experiencing a similar slowdown in bookings.

“We haven’t had many bookings for Turkey this year and the numbers are declining dramatically,” said Zekiye Yucel, founder of the Discovery Collection, which offers cultural tours around the Mediterranean and Middle East. “If the bombings continue, it will get worse.”

Trade body Aito said its Turkey specialists were reporting lower-than-usual booking levels. However, tours will continue to operate unless the Foreign Office changes its travel advice.

Currently, the Foreign Office has not put out any warning against visiting the vast majority of Turkey, though it continues to advise against all travel to areas near the south-eastern border with Syria and Iraq.