The state of tourism in Turkey
In 2014, Turkey was ranked the sixth most population destination with over 37 million visitors travelling to see the Turkish historical sites. However, this has changed due to geopolitical and security reasons. While the Turkish government agreed to a ceasefire with the PKK, the recent months has seen increased attacks by ISIS with the latest being the attack on Ataturk International Airport in Istanbul. The increased attacks have led to a decline in the number of tourists visiting Turkey. Besides, the fallout between Turkey and Russia has hurt the Turkish tourism sector (BBC News, 2016). In 2015, the number of Russian tourists to Turkey fell by more than a half a million and things got worse when the Russian President imposed economic sanctions against Turkey (Global Risk Insights, 2016). Things also got worse on July 16th after the failed coup attempt where more than 200 people died. Turkish tourism sector is at its lowest in decades due to the security issues the country is facing.
Stakeholders
Stakeholders in the tourism sector include the government through the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, businesses such as hotels, airlines, among other stakeholders. For instance, the Turkish Airline has gained reputation as one of the best airlines in the world. The deterioration of the tourism sector adversely affects its revenues. The recent attack n the Ataturk Airport was detrimental to the Airline’s business. Some hotels have been forced to reduce their staff and prices have dropped significantly.
Major elements
Elements include tourists, geographical sites and the tourism industry (Hall & Page, 2014). Tourists include both local and foreign tourists. The country has several geographical tourist attraction sites such as the Topkapı Palace, Cappadocia, Pamukkale, among other sites. The Turkish tourism industry is well-established with world class hotels, among other businesses. The Turkish Airline is a global brand and contributes a lot to the tourism system.
Analysis
The tourism sector is deteriorating with terrorism attacks by the ISIS being the major challenge. ISIS recently attacked the Ataturk Airport which is strategic to Turkish tourism sector. This, among other attacks and the attempted coup, has led to a fall in tourists. The Minister for Culture and Tourism urged foreign tourists not to leave the country (Trend.Az, 2016). Over 40% of German tourists to Turkey have cancelled their reservations. The state is likely to improve following the lifting of the tourism ban by Vladimir Putin (RT International, 2016). However, if terrorist attacks continue, the tourism sector will deteriorate further.
References
Hall, C. & Page, S. (2014). The Geography of Tourism and Recreation: Environment, Place
and Space (4th ed.). London: Routledge.
Just how bad is the state of Turkey's tourism sector? | GRI. (2016). Global Risk Insights.
Retrieved 5 August 2016, from http://globalriskinsights.com/2016/04/just-how-bad-is-the-state-of-turkeys-tourism-sector/
Putin lifts Turkey tourism ban. (2016). RT International. Retrieved 5 August 2016, from
https://www.rt.com/news/349041-putin-lifts-turkey-sanctions/
Turkey tourism: an industry in crisis - BBC News. (2016). BBC News. Retrieved 5 August
2016, from http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-36549880
Turkish minister urges foreign tourists not to leave country. (2016). Trend.Az. Retrieved 5
August 2016, from http://en.trend.az/business/economy/2479704.html
