Antalya eyes Madonna and Justin Bieber to revive tourism amid Russia crisis

International celebrities like Madonna, Jennifer Lopez and Justin Bieber could be invited to perform in the Mediterranean resort of Antalya as part of EXPO 2016 in a bid to revive the region's daunting tourism sector, as well as lure interest from target markets, Antalya's Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ATSO) head Davut Çetin suggested in a report to the Tourism Ministry. 

The report, titled "The Impact of the Russian Sanctions on Antalya's Economy and Measures Needed," was developed at a time when the city, Turkey's top holiday spot for both national and international tourists, faces serious financial problems following the Russian sanctions that came after the Nov. 24, 2015, jet crisis between the two countries.  

"EXPO 2016, which will start in the city on April 23, should be turned into a big tourism push, for instance by organizing big concerts by international celebrities, such as Madonna, Jennifer Lopez or Justin Bieber, to attract the interest of target markets," said the report, which includes a total of 10 policy recommendations to revive the sector.

Some measures like massive PR work, active marketing methods and campaigns during the foreign holiday seasons as well as triggered searches for new markets like China and India were also offered in the report.   

Russia has been the second largest source of foreign tourists for Turkey. Culture and Tourism Minister Mahir Ünal earlier said the sector has unavoidably been affected negatively with the Russian crisis as well as regional uncertainties. He expects a loss of around 4.5 million Russian tourists this year. 

"The upcoming days are quite crucial for us, but we have big leverage, which is the planned EXPO meeting in Antalya. We can recover our losses in the...