German tourists flock to Turkey
16:46, 24/08/2017, ThursdayU: Update: 16:57, 24/08/2017, Thursday
Yeni Şafak
File photo
Turkish minister asserted that Germans “cannot do without Turkey,” and that despite all of the “negative propaganda” made in Germany
Turkey’s Culture and Tourism Minister Numan Kurtulmuş has said that half a million German tourists have visited Istanbul in the first six months of this year, despite “all of the negative propaganda” in Germany.
Answering press members’ questions at the Prime Ministry’s office in Istanbul’s district of Dolmabahçe, Kurtulmuş asserted that Germans “cannot do without Turkey,” and that despite all of the “negative calls” made in Germany, it hasn’t affected the tourism sector in Turkey.
German tour operators are recording strong demand for Turkey this summer, despite political disagreements between Berlin and Ankara.
TUI, the country’s biggest tour operator has previously said demand for last-minute travel to Turkey had increased recently.
Turkey is one of the most popular travel destinations for German holidaymakers, but the number of visitors declined in the last two years, largely due to safety concerns and conflicts in countries neighboring Turkey.
In 2016, 3.9 million German tourists traveled to Turkey.