Turkey eyeing tourists from Oman

Musact: Turkey is eyeing tourists from Oman and other Gulf Cooperation Council countries during Eid Al Adha holidays in a bid to increase tourism numbers after the recent failed coup attempt, according to an official from The Turkish Cultural and Tourism Office in Dubai.
“The Turkish Ministry of Culture and Tourism is looking to visitors from Oman and other Gulf countries to offset the recent slump in the nation’s tourist numbers,” Salih Ozer, Attaché of Culture and Information from Turkey to the UAE, said.
Tourism is a critical source of Turkey’s GDP – the sector generated USD 35.1 billion in revenues in 2015 – but recent events have taken a toll on the sector.
“In the past, visitors from Oman, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, the UAE, Qatar and Bahrain have represented the highest volume of visitors to the nation,” the official added.
In recent years, the influx of tourists from the Gulf region into Turkey has surged; visitors from the region are estimated to contribute as much as six per cent to Turkey’s average annual tourism revenue.
“In fact, an impressive 582,698 Gulf tourists visited Turkey in 2014,” the official said, adding that generally, the period from June to September marks a peak season for Gulf visitors travelling to Turkey.
“We hope that the upcoming Eid Al Adha holidays will help boost tourist revenue, especially since the safety and comfort of tourists is being handled with the utmost care,” Ozer added.
According to the World Travel and Tourism Council, tourism created 580,000 jobs directly in 2014 in Turkey, which translates to 2.2 per cent of the nation’s total employment.