Mortal blow to tourism?
Arab visitors kept Istanbul’s ailing tourist industry alive, but after the New Year’s Eve attack even they may stop coming, writes Foreign Correspondent Anna Lekas Miller
ISTANBUL // When a gunman stormed the Reina nightclub on the banks of the Bosphorus and opened fire on more than 600 revellers welcoming the new year, 21 of the 39 people killed were Arab nationals.
And although the suspect has finally been arrested after more than two weeks, many business owners are wondering how much damage the enormous death toll of Arab tourists will do to Istanbul’s tourism industry.
“It has been a really terrible season and it does feel like there are fewer Arab tourists here,” says Mehmut, who owns a cafe on one of the side streets off Istiklal Avenue, an area catering to Arab tourists, with many signs in Arabic.
“I hope it feels this way because of the winter and not because of what happened at the Reina.”
Over the past year, a string of terror attacks and increasing political instability in Istanbul has caused the city’s once thriving tourism industry to slow to a mere trickle.
European – particularly German and Russian – tourists who once enjoyed the rich historical sites of Istanbul and the pristine beaches of the Aegean and the Mediterranean, have increasingly opted not to visit Turkey, instead flocking to beaches in Croatia and the Greek islands. In the absence of European tourists, Arab tourists – large- ly from the Gulf states, but also from Lebanon, Egypt and North Africa – have kept Istanbul’s tourism industry going.
With plenty of natural beauty, religion- friendly tourism and mostly visa- free entry requirements, Istanbul and other cities in Turkey have remained popular holiday destinations for tourists from the Middle East.
Tour guides say visitors from countries in the region that have faced their own share of political turmoil in recent years are less concerned about the risks of instability than European visitors.
Tourists from the region who do not enjoy the privilege of visa- free travel in many other countries also have fewer options for holiday destinations.
Once- popular cities such as Beirut have fallen out of favour for many Arab tourists owing to tensions in the region.
“In the summer, they love the greenery and the seaside, and in the winter they love the snow,” says Naim, a tour operator with a shop overlooking Taksim Square.
“They love Recep Tayyip Erdogan.”
Tour operators have responded to the shift in the market. Many have launched advertising campaigns aimed solely at Arab tourists that highlight “halal tourism” options across the country and luxury villas along the Bosphorus, reminiscent of those seen in the Turkish soap operas popular in the Arab world.
The Saudi Arab Tourism Organisation is even pushing for a series of resorts modelled on traditional Arab villages throughout Turkey, taking advantage of natural resources such as thermal baths at Bursa and the uninterrupted coastline of Antalya.
Naim used to market bus tours of Istanbul’s historical sites to European visitors, but says that over the past year, his clientele has shifted from being a mixture of European, Middle East, and South-East Asian tourists, to overwhelmingly Arab.
But after the devastating experiences of Arab tourists at Reina, this trend might be changing. In the week after the attack, the UAE became the first Arab country to issue a warning advising its citizens against travel to Turkey.
Although it remains to be seen whether or not Emiratis will heed this warning, flight bookings to Istanbul from cities in the Middle East cities have fallen since the attack, according to analysis out by ForwardKeys, a Spanish firm tracking trends in global travel.
“It was a little bit scary to visit over New Year’s Eve,” admits Wael, a Lebanese national who visited Istanbul for the first time at new year.
While he did not know anyone affected by the attack, the loss of three Lebanese citizens caused a media frenzy in Lebanon.
“But I don’t need a visa to go,” he says. “I’ll definitely be back.”
Naim receives plenty of calls about the security situation in Istanbul and, since the Reina attack, even a few cancellations.
But despite the worsening security climate, he continues to encourage his clientele to visit Turkey.
“I tell them, if you come to Istanbul and think about what happened at Reina, don’t come,” he says.
“But if you come to Istanbul to see our beautiful country, be on the next flight.”