After grim 2016, Turkish tourism makes a comeback
Tourists have returned in droves to Turkey, helped this summer by the sharp fall in the value of the Turkish lira following economic uncertainty and a rift with the United States.
The evidence is abundant. A British firm, for example, managed to book 200 people - up from 15 last year - for a swim between Turkey’s European and Asian shores. And many Turks have travelled to hometowns and resorts this week, an Islamic holiday. restaurants, fight for sunbeds and pretend to have fun while taking selfies before returning to the city in droves at the weekend.
And Hurriyet, a Turkish newspaper, posted photos of former French president Nicolas Sarkozy and his wife, singer Carla Bruni-sarkozy, on a pleasure boat in the Bodrum area.
Another prominent visitor to Turkey was Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, who took time out during an official trip in July to tour Istanbul’s Topkapi Palace, once home to Ottoman sultans.
All this positive news coming from the tourism sector contrasts sharply with the state of the wider economy.
Turkey’s president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, says the economy is under attack, a reference to U.S. economic penalties, including tariffs, imposed during a dispute over an American pastor facing terror-related charges in Turkey. Many economists attribute Turkey’s problems to excessive reliance on loans for fast growth, and say interest rates should be increased to get inflation under control.
The Turkish government has introduced charter flight subsidies and credit guarantee funds to help tourism, and is starting to tap into the Chinese market. Mideast residents are also visiting; some rushed to luxury goods stores for bargains after the lira freefall this month.