Turkey will be opened primarily for Russian tourists after the end of the pandemic

Turkish authorities after the end of the coronavirus pandemic will open the country primarily for Russian tourists, said the president of the World Economic Forum (WEF) Bulut Bagchi.

“In the past, the world did not face such a crisis, therefore, it is difficult for national authorities to take quickly effective measures to support business. Due to the coronavirus pandemic in Turkey, 80% of the companies involved in tourism are closing. Russia is a leader in inbound tourism, so if there are no political conflicts between the countries, then after normalizing the epidemiological situation, Turkey will be opened first of all to Russian tourists,” he said in an interview.

According to the Ministry of Tourism of Turkey, in 2019 the country was visited by 51,7 million tourists, among them the first position was for Russia (7,02 million), then Germany (5 million), Bulgaria (2,7 million), Great Britain (2,56 million ) and Iran (2 million). Tourism revenue was $ 34,5 billion last year.

The expert noted that about one million people are employed in tourism and tourism-related industries in Turkey. “80% of firms in the tourism industry closed now. Even if the pandemic stops completely in June, you must wait at least until August for tourism to recover. From August to November, you can expect maximum travel demand,” Bagchi reported.