Turkey is safe for holidaymakers, say operators

Holidaymakers planning to visit Turkey this summer have been reassured that the country is safe, following a triple suicide bombing at Istanbul airport that left at least 42 dead and injured more than 150.

The attack on Ataturk Airport, Europe’s third busiest, is the ninth terrorist incident in the country in nine months and the third to hit the popular Turkish city this year. No group claimed the attack but it is said to bear the hallmarks of Islamic State.

The bombings are yet another blow to Turkey’s fragile tourism industry, which in May registered a 34.7 per cent drop in visitor arrivals compared to last year – the largest fall in 22 years.

But tour operators have moved to calm customers with holidays booked to the sunny beach resorts of southern Turkey, such as Bodrum and Dalaman, declaring the country safe, and highlighting both the increased security at regional airports and 200 mile-plus distance from Istanbul.

The Foreign Office has not updated its travel advice to the country – which does not warn against travel to much of the country, bar some regions in the south east that border Syria and Iraq – but it says the threat from terrorism “remains high”.

“To date this summer the feedback we have had from clients who have travelled to the Turkish coast has been overwhelmingly positive and they have enjoyed their holidays as normal,” said Akin Koç, managing director of Anatolian Sky, a specialist operator in the region.

A spokesperson for Thomas Cook said it was monitoring the situation closely but that all holidays and flights were going ahead as normal “with increased security measures at airports”.

“Our experienced teams on the ground inform us that our customers continue to enjoy their holidays, in resorts which are all hundreds of miles from Istanbul,” the spokesperson added, before saying usual booking conditions on trips this summer remain but customers with concerns should contact their operator.

Turkey, which had registered yearon-year growth in visitor numbers since 2006, is now staring at a collapse in its tourism industry, which accounts for 10 per cent of GDP.

Continuing struggles between security forces and Kurdish militant groups, as well as repeated attacks in both Istanbul, the country’s most popular destination, and the capital, Ankara, has led operators, including Neilson, Mark Warner and Thomas Cook to cut capacity this year. Cruise lines have also amended their itineraries to avoid its ports, citing “safety concerns”.

Mr Koç said bookings were down 50 per cent on last year. “We’d been hoping that there might be a surge of last-minute bookings for this summer,” he said. “And although we have seen the number of enquiries rising slightly in recent weeks, this has not yet materialised. Each time Turkey hits the headlines people are prompted to think twice about booking.”

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