Cancelations of trips by the Ukrainians and Russians pose disaster for Turkish tourism

Tuesday, March 8, 2022

Visitors from Ukraine and Russia comprise more than a quarter of all tourists having visited Turkey in 2021, who usually choose to go for the turquoise beaches on the Mediterranean and Aegean.

Within few days after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Ukrainians and Russians canceled all reservations for trips, and this proved catastrophic for Turkey, where tourism used to represent 10% of GDP before the pandemic.

There were high hopes for tourism revival this year and the sector aimed for a significant boost after the Turkish lira lost significant value last year with inflation going up more than 50% in February.

“Russia and Ukraine are very important markets for us,” said HamitKuk of the Association of Turkish Travel Agencies (TURSAB).

Around 4.5 million Russian and two million Ukrainian tourists came to Turkey last year.

TURSAB estimatedvisits from seven million Russians and 2.5 million Ukrainians this year, but Kuk said that it would “likely have to review these figures”.

“The war between Russia and Ukraine is making everyone nervous here. Both from a human and commercial point of view,” said Kuk.

“Normally, there would be a rush of summer reservations in March. But the demand has stopped,” he added.

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