A recent article in the travel section of The New York
Times spoke about how the Yugoslavia situation and the
pending Ocalan trial are destroying the tourist season in
Turkey. Sources in Turkey described a lot of empty hotel
rooms and the threat of lost air charters that normally
would bring in tourists.
I am not one to react to bad news by dumping my travel
plans- in fact I haven't even made them yet. It sounds to
me like Turkey could be a bargain this season. Does anyone
have any input as to whether tourism is actually down,
hotels are more willing to cut a deal, sites and beaches
are less crowded, etc? I would think one fallout would be
lower air fares into Istanbul, but so far I have not seen
any to speak of. Would it be cheaper to fly in from London?
Thanks very much.
[There are 13 posts - the latest was added on Mon 24 May, 18:21]
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Unfortunately TURKEY has a bad season in tourism this
year.Everywhere is so cheap and empty.On the other hand
it's a very safe country.Come to TURKEY and have fun.For
more info please write to me.
i cannot believe the image the European and American press
makes on Turkey. I was abroad for a holiday and everytime i
checked the news on Turkey i was worried about my own
country.
i am back now in Turkey and once again I see that it is an
invisible economic ambargo on Turkey by some European
travel companies only to get the prices rock bottom.
ignore all those security warnings etc nonsense.
they must be about another country not Turkey.
we have had enough of this.
from Turkey and yes, tourism is noticeably down. Most
Turks I talked to that make their living on tourism were
optimistic for the high season but realistically it could
be a hard summer. I had an incredible time in Turkey,
never felt any threat to my safety (other than from the
carpet salesmen in Istanbul), and prices were below average
which makes it more a bargain. Greece and Italy are closer
to Yugoslavia than Turkey anyway and I don't think tourists
are staying away from those countries. My 2 cents.
Turism is bottom low in Turkey now, but don't expect prices
to go down. Prices couldn't be lower to start with,
expecially in Cappadocia, but moreover the crisis is so deep
that it is destroying small businesses, and as you said
charters are cancelling their flights. This means that offer
is adapting to demand, but 'the equilibrium price' is not
changing...
The big bargain is the absence of crowds. Cappadocia with
tourists is no fun at all, while when it is deserted it has
a mystical feeling. This summer Turkey is an opportunity not
to be missed, I think.
On the other hand, yes, ignore the warnings abot your
safety, Turkey is safe as it can be for turist, but please
ignore also those pityful accuses of 'invisible economic
embargo', about the evil Europeans trying to destroy Turkey.
The situation here is safe 'thanks' to robust police
measures that border on marshal law. The government wanted a
showdown with europe on certain issues that deemed
undisputable, created incredible sideshows (people burning
their own cars to displease the italians!) and now will pay
the consequences. Only too fair...
hi there
i'm in turkey at the moment, in eceabat, and all the talk
about dangerous travel is garbage. it's fine here! as far
as better deals, i've heard the hotels on the coast are
hurting for people, so maybe you can get a deal. also the
beaches and sites are less crowded at the moment.
come to turkey!! :)
Robin
Not to quibble, but this is after all only May. When we
lived in Turkey we traveled in late May and early June to
avoid the summer crowds. On our May 97 holiday,
everything was deserted--the way we liked it. Maybe what
people are saying is that tourism is down comparing this May
to last May. But to say Turkey is not crowded NOW, or that
it is not crowded THIS SUMMER, or that crowds are way down
from last summer is like comparing apples and oranges.
I recently returned from Turkey, and can confirm that
tourism is down from a year ago, prices are soft, seats &
rooms are easy to get, and crowds are thin. That's great
news for the traveler.
Most importantly, our family felt very safe, even through a
national election. The Istanbul carpet touts threaten your
patience only.
Yudi is anti- turc
I meant to say that I was Attaturk, not anti- turc. Sorry
for any inconvenience or confusion caused.
yudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudivyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudiyudi
I have been in Turkey for the last six weeks, and would like
to agree with the majority of the responses here. Yes I
feel entirely safe here, and lets not forget that during the
last six weeks, 3 bombs have gone off in my home town
London, innocent school children were massacred in America,
while I have been completely safe and having such fun.
There are dangers everywhere in the world, so why let one
warning spoil your perfect holiday.
Hi Steve,
The tourism is not bad at all in Turkey. We are doing very
well. It might be worse than last year but still not bad at
all.
Before you start off your trip, please check
www.lodgingturkey.com. It contains valuable info on lodging
in Turkey.
If you have any further questions, drop me a line.
Have a safe travel,
Mehmet
Turism is not bad in Turkey? Germans are cancelling at a
rate of 15.000 a week! Most of Turkey is forecasted to fill
less than 50% of its capacity this summer (Turkey is not
even in the first 15 most visited countries in the World, so
its capacity is pretty small in the first place), and
Tourism form affluent countries is rock bottom (-97% from
Italy). The only foreigners you see around Istanbul are
Japanese and Russians (lots of Uzbeks). Really there is no
problem? why everybody is crying wolf on any turkish
newspaper, then?