Attracted by restriction-free travel and cheap lira, Arab tourists are helping boost Turkey's tourism industry, which has suffered a severe blow during the pandemic.
Follow Israel Hayom on Facebook and Twitter
Omar Zahra, a Jordanian man on holiday in Istanbul with his family, said flying there from Amman was a better choice than Gulf destinations, where a positive coronavirus test would require self-isolation, or other ones in the European Union, which briefly banned tourists from Jordan.
"You don't have to go to Europe. It is a lot more expensive ... and they still have some restrictions," he said, and his sister Zahra added: "This is the best place to go for price, culture, nature, food and weather."
Turkey's tourism industry accounts for up to 12% of the economy and is a key source of foreign revenue to offset big trade imbalances. Experts predict that this year it will return to pre-pandemic levels, despite the partial lockdown the government declared in May due to a rise in morbidity.
In the first week of July, airport passenger numbers were at their highest since the pandemic struck, according to the State Airports Authority.
Flights from Russia, Turkey's biggest source of holidaymakers, restarted in June and Germans, the second-biggest source, are also making reservations, travel industry executives say.
Meanwhile, quarantine-free travel and a lira that has fallen more than 50% versus the dollar in the last three years, has boosted demand from the Middle East, executives say.
Subscribe to Israel Hayom's daily newsletter and never miss our top stories!
