SunExpress expects rebound in Turkish tourism in 2017

Turkey's tourist industry is set for a rebound in 2017 following difficult times in 2016, according to the general manager of SunExpress, a joint venture of Lufthansa and Turkish Airlines.

"We believe Turkey will become a very attractive holiday destination in 2017 when both quality and price are considered. SunExpress is an important tourism partner for Turkey. Additionally, it is a strong partner in the Turkish business world and will remain so. We trust that every aspect of tourism will improve in 2017. In this respect, we are not considering downsizing; on the contrary, we will do our utmost to remain capable of meeting improving demand in a timely manner," said Jens Bischof in a press statement. 

The company "has proven that it is an important catalyst for Turkish tourism even in a year like 2016, in which many tough ups and downs were experienced in Turkey. Flying the greatest number of tourists to the Mediterranean and Aegean regions of Turkey via scheduled and direct flights, SunExpress contributed a great deal to Turkish tourism by welcoming onboard one of every five tourists from Western Europe in 2016," the statement read. 

"Despite all the hardships and tough conditions encountered in 2016, we continued our flights with determination. When compared to the previous year, we carried 8 million passengers with a slight decrease of 9 percent compared with 2015, which is a respectable accomplishment in such a rough year," said Bischof.

Bischof also said that while the decline in the tourism sector in Antalya, Turkey's top tourism destination, reached 30 percent in 2016, SunExpress only suffered a 9 percent decline in Antalya while increasing its market share to 36 percent. 

"Our market share in our transfer center,...