Leisure

Turkish tourism is coming to life and occupancy rates are increasing this year but it does not bring money in return since it does not attract western tourists with "money."

Turkey's struggling tourism sector may lose up to $30 billion over the three-year period covering 2016, 2017 and 2018 if a number of key measures are not taken, Tourism Investors Association (TYD) head Oya Narin has said. 

Authorities on the eastern Aegean island of Chios have been investigating the circumstances surrounding the death of a 47-year-old professional diver who drowned during an underwater cleanup on Friday.

According to local media, the 47-year-old had been diving with another man who noticed his partner's absence after returning to the surface.

Athens is one of the most sought-after destinations for Chinese travelers, according to the Hotels.com Chinese International Travel Monitor, a report based on research conducted by Ipsos.

Athens is third on the list of destinations in Europe and the Middle East, with 4 percent of Chinese travelers saying they would like to see the Greek capital.

With the continent sweltering under a heatwave nicknamed Lucifer, tempers have been boiling over, too, as a wave of anti-tourism protests take place in some of Europe's most popular destinations.

''Over 3.3 million foreign tourists have visited the country since the beginning of the year'', Tourism Minister Nikolina Angelkova told BTV's morning show.

The forecast for a 7-10% rise this year have been confirmed, as the increase in January-June was around 8%, the minister further said.

The number of tourism arrivals in Greece is growing apace and the sector is without doubt the main engine of the country's economy right now. All of the signs point to the upward trend continuing, but this does not mean there is any room for complacency.

A report by the National Bank of Greece issued on Tuesday proposes a plan that could earn Greece an extra 5 billion euros in tourism revenues every year by increasing investment, extending the season and providing the right promotion for the country as a destination.

Turkey's first Zoology and Nature Museum, which opened on April 23 in the southeastern province of Gaziantep and displays stuffed wild animals, has been visited so far by more than a million people. 

Animals that have completed their life in nature and zoos have been stuffed by experts and put on display at the museum in the Gaziantep Zoo. 

Despite a successful season, the Croatian tourism sector is short of at least  2,700 workers,  unions say, blaming the gap mainly on poor pay and working conditions.

Eduard Andric, president of the Croatian Tourism and services trade union, told BIRN that "poor working conditions are the key reason for the lack of workers in tourism.