Record growth for Turkey tourism

The short duration of the Iraq conflict has allowed Turkey to surmount the losses faced by its tourism industry, the ministry said.

The number of tourists in July registered a growth of about 10 per cent in July and 3.4pc in June, compared to figures for 2002, the Anatolia news agency said, quoting a tourism ministry release.

This reverses the trend in March, April and May this year, when the number of tourists visiting Turkay fell by 26pc, 22pc and 13pc respectively, compared to last year’s figures.

Tourism is Turkey’s main hard currency earner, with 13.2 million tourists bringing in revenues of $11.9 billion last year. The industry has taken a beating after international tour operators warned against visiting the troubled Middle East region.

While American tourists have kept away since the attacks of September 11, 2001, Turkey’s refusal to allow the Iraq war to be fought from its soil has not helped reverse this trend.

Turkey’s stand against the United States has prompted an unexpected boost to its tourism industry.