Canada travel weekly predicts tourism surge in Turkey

By Seyit Aydogan

TORONTO, Canada

Weekly Canadian travel periodical Travelweek took Turkey to its front page marking the country as a “breakout destination”.

The article states that the current economic situation in the country has made it an attractive prospect for tourists and travel agencies alike.

“Turkey has a wide and unique offering of cultural, heritage, urban, sun and sea tourism products and continues to diversify its tourism offer,” the article quoted Sandra Carvao, Market Trends and Competitiveness Chief of the United Nations World Tourism Organization, as saying.

With an annual increase of 11.48 percent in the number of tourists arriving in the country last July, the weekly recorded that the total number of tourists coming to Turkey is 21.6 million.

Carvao also said that the recovery of the Russian market, promotional efforts and infrastructure development contributed to the tourism surge in Turkey.

Also speaking to the Travelweek, Turkey's ambassador in Ottawa Selcuk Unal said the momentum gained in tourism in 2017, 2018 and beyond seemed positive.

"With ancient cities, beaches and natural beauties, Turkey offers a unique holiday opportunity to all visitors," Unal said, adding that the country was ready to host more Canadians.

Megan Bailey, the director of sales and customer experience at tour operator Intrepid Group, also said that there was an incredible increase of 214 percent in global reservations in 2018 when compared to the last year.

She added that Turkey was the fastest growing destination.

"Current reservations show that trend of booking travel to Turkey will continue to increase quickly in 2019," Bailey was quoted as saying.