Turkey, losing 4.5 mln Russian tourists this year, will take measures to recover losses: Minister

Turkish Culture and Tourism Minister Mahir Ünal has said the sector has unavoidably affected negatively with the Russian crisis as well as regional uncertainties. He expects around 4.5 million losses in the number of Russian tourists this year. 

A number of measures will be taken to recover these losses and the planned EXPO meeting in the Mediterranean resort of Antalya will be a great platform, Ünal said at a meeting in Ankara on Jan. 14, as reported by Reuters. 

After a Russian warplane was downed by Turkey on Nov. 24, 2015, many travel agencies in Russia canceled their Turkey packages, in line with government pressure. For years, Russia provided the second largest source of tourists for Turkey after Germany. 

Turkey saw a dramatic drop in the number of foreign arrivals from Europe and Russia in the first 11 months of the year, while the number of total foreign arrivals saw only a slight decline (around 1.36 percent) in the mentioned period compared to the first eleven months of 2014, according to temporary data revealed by the Tourism Ministry on Dec. 29, 2015. The number of Russian arrivals decreased by 18 percent to 3.6 million in the first eleven months of the year compared to the same period of 2014. A total of 4.4 million Russian tourists visited Turkey in 2014. 

"The upcoming days are quite crucial for us, but we have a big leverage, which is the planned EXPO meeting in Antalya. We can recover our losses in the Russian market, around 4.5 million tourists, through this organization," he said. 

The EXPO Antalya will open on April 23 and will remain open the next six months. 

Underlining Turkey's aim of reaching 50 million tourists annually by 2023, Ünal said, "It is of great importance for us to achieve...