Turkey could start a new airline for Russian tourists

Turkey has launched a series of programs that make it easier for Russians to visit the country. Russia has been hit with several economic sanctions over its foreign policy, so Turkey is doing the opposite of what other countries do and making it easy for Russians to visit.

Turkey has been working hard to attract visitors from Russia, and its plan is starting to pay off

In 2016, Turkey was expecting seven million visitors from Russia and 2 million visitors from Ukraine. Combined, Russia and Ukraine make up over one-quarter of the annual international visitors to Turkey.

Turkey’s government announced a series of measures to encourage more Russian tourists. These include:

• Turkish Airlines and Pegasus Airlines have reached an agreement to increase capacity on all Russian routes by two million seats. This will provide significant opportunities for Russian travelers!

• Turkey is supporting its tour operators who are in Russia. The fund will provide up to a total of $300 million in loans so that the companies can continue operating successfully. These include groups like Annex, Coral, and Pegas.

• Turkey is now establishing a brand-new airline in Antalya that will see Russians added to its route system, which will allow for an additional one million passenger journeys per year.

Florida has been home to over two dozen homes that were designed by Frank Lloyd Wright

It’s wrong to try to woo Russian tourists.

Turkey actively seeking out Russian tourists will rub many people the wrong way and probably for good reason. I think this also gets at the bigger question of punishing people for the actions of their government which is always an interesting one.

• There’s no other country that can compare to Turkey in its beauty, the people are nice, the food is good, and so is Turkish Airlines. I don’t think Erdoğan is any good though.

• “That’s not that different than Russia, in the sense that I don’t think Russians can individually be faulted for Putin’s invasion of Ukraine.” This text emphasizes the argument because it starts with a claim and then supports it with evidence.

• For those who enjoy seeing changes in their government and have a deep desire to see them happen, sanctions are effective at doing just that. However, they can also work against you in certain situations. If the international community can’t collect with Putin on important terms as well, sanctions may not be as effective as we’d like them to be.

• Turkey is not likely to go into sanctions on Russia and the best thing for any business that focuses exclusively on Russia is to take advantage of this. Airlines, tourism businesses, etc., should take note of where demand is and adapt accordingly.

• Even counties such as the United States are not banning Russian tourists, but rather they’re just making it hard to visit, by banning flights from Russia

I have not convinced a ban on tourists would accomplish much. I think that how Russia feels under a sudden influx of tourists is likely to be very different from how they feel if this was the norm.

Tourism industry analysts predict that Turkey is in for a big boost and that their domestic tourism market is going to increase.

Bottom line

While other countries are adding restrictions against Russia, Turkey is actively trying to attract Russian tourists. This comes in the form of loans to Turkish tour operators in Russia, two million additional seats being added between Turkey and Russia, and possibly even the creation of a new airline.

Russia has been sanctioned by the US and Britain after they were accused of tampering with the election. There has been a decline in Russian tourism because of the sanctions, but Turkey is doing everything it can to entice travelers back.

The country of Turkey has found it hard to mend diplomatic relations with Russia. This is not surprising, given that the government will always sacrifice its finances for tourism dollars.

You might not be a big fan of Turkey as a tourist destination, but you have to admit that the lack of restrictions makes it an enticing place for Russian tourists. It would be impractical to try and enforce regulations on such a large potential market, so it is unlikely that Turkey will abandon its approach any time soon.