Turkey’s tourist numbers drop 40 per cent on terrorist attacks
The number of foreign visitors heading to Turkey plummeted in June as sun-seekers shunned the troubled country amid terrorist attacks and political instability.
In total, 2.4m tourists visited Turkey in June, down 41 per cent on the same month last year in the biggest fall in more than two decades.
Last month an attack at Istanbul's main airport, Ataturk International, killed 41 people and left another 230 injured. Airline Thomas Cook said the attacks weighed on its takings for the period as UK tourists thought twice about where to head on summer vacations.
So far this year arrival numbers are down 28 per cent, in a downturn which is hitting parts of the country that rely heavily on the industry during the summer months.
Read more: Thomas Cook earnings pushed lower by terrorism
The figures show tourism was already on a steep dive even before the attempted coup earlier this month. The failed military takeover resulted in a fierce backlash from President Erdogan, who managed to secure power after pro-government supporters flooded the streets of Istanbul and the capital Ankara.
UK visitors to Turkey dropped by 34 per cent in June compared to last year, with 234,000 heading there last month.