Number of Russian tourists in Turkey falls 87% in Jan–Jun

MOSCOW, Jul 28 (PRIME) -- The number of Russian tourists in Turkey fell by 87% on the year to 184,000 people in January–June, the Association of Tour Operators said in a statement on Thursday.

According to data of Antalya Airport, the number of Russian tourists who arrived to Turkey by plane in January–June fell by 97% on the year, the association said.

The number of foreign tourists in the country went down 28% on the year to 10.7 million in the period.

Moscow prohibited companies from selling tours to Turkey and carrying charter flights to the country after Ankara downed Russia’s Su-24 bomber in November 2015. In June, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan sent a letter to President Vladimir Putin expressing his condolences to the family of the downed plane’s pilot.

Shortly after a phone conversation with Erdogan, Putin signed a ruling to abolish the prohibition, but in mid-July, after a terrorist attack and a coup attempt in Turkey, Moscow barred Russians from flying to Turkey altogether.

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