The number of Israeli tourists visiting Turkish resorts in June 2010 dropped by 90% compared with the same period last year, antaliatoday.ru reports.
According to the information of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of Turkey, there were 2,600 Israeli tourists in Turkey in June 2010, while there were over 27,000 in June 2009.
The drop in tourist numbers is due to the warning made by the counter-terrorist bureau of Israel after the ‘Freedom Flotilla’ incident, recommending Israelis to avoid visiting Turkey. The warning was lifted in July, but the agency recommended Israeli tourists not to speak in Hebrew while in Turkey.
The Israeli website Globes reported that the number of Israeli tourists started rising in early August. The largest tour operator of Israel, Kavei Hufsha, started selling tours to Turkey in mid-July.
The head of Kavei Hufsha, Armon Englender, said that the Turkish side was informed about the rising number of Israelis. Antalya supports the visits.
Globes reported that Israeli tourists bring in approximately $2 billion to Turkey annually. The prices for a three-night tour vary from $420 to $580 per person.
The head of the association of Turkish tourist agencies (TURSAB), Basharan Ulusoya, says Turkey is a special place of recreation for Israelis, which is safe for them.
The recent tensions were particularly visible in Antalya. Israeli tourists started preferring Greece. According to the department of civil aviation of Israel, the number of Israelis visiting Turkey dropped by 72% in July, while the number of tourists to Greece rose by 75%.
