Turkey hopes for better tourism outcomes by targetting Chinese visitors this year. (Photo : Getty Images)
Turkey sets its goal to woo over 1 million Chinese tourists as a solution to the decreasing number of European and Russian visitors this year.
Secretary General Cetin Gurcun of the Association of Turkish Travel Agencies (TURSAB) said that Turkey should urgently expand its target market to China as the country faces one of its worst years when it comes to tourism.
The country experienced a big fall of 17 percent in terms of foreign arrivals during the first three months of 2016. Antalya, a popular Turkish Mediterranean resort among Russian visitors, experienced a woeful 90-percent drop in foreign arrivals.
Tourism experts believe that the multiple terror attacks that occurred in several key Turkey cities such as Istanbul and Ankara are the major reasons why the number of European tourists significantly declined in the recent years.
Security concerns rise as 12 out of 80 deaths during the Turkey bombings last year involved German visitors in Istanbul. The country also saw many flights and tourist group cancellations due to threats of further terrorist attacks.
Aside from the terror attacks, Turkey is also suffering from its relationship with Russia. In Nov. 2015, Turkey brought down a Russian warplane. Moscow immediately issued a travel ban to Ankara following the controversial incident.
The Tourism Data Bank stated that the dramatic decline of foreign arrivals in the country is projected to cause a $9 billion loss in revenue and over 7.6 million tourists in this year alone.
Meanwhile, China Daily reported that there were about 314,000 Chinese tourists in Turkey last year.
Serdar Ibis of travel company Dorak Tour said that Turkey is indeed a go-to destination for Chinese travelers. "It is home to many civilization: Seljuk, Hittite, Roman, Byzantine and Ottoman," he said.
According to Gurcun, TURSAB is focused on providing all the support that tourism agencies of Turkey need in order to woo more Chinese tourists for the remaining months of 2016.
