Looming U.S. Sanctions, Regional Unrest Threaten Turkey’s Vibrant Tourism Rebound
Photo Credit: Tourism to destinations like Cappadocia in Turkey, known for its "fairy chimneys," may suffer because of the realities of geopolitics. Visual Hunt / Timothy Neesam/GumshoePhotos
Skift Take
Turkey until recently was hailed as one of Europe’s most attractive travel destinations. But rising geopolitical tensions and souring relations between Washington and Ankara are now threatening the fragile sector’s growth and potential.
Turkey has long been known for its vibrant and attractive tourism destinations, from the Byzantine and Ottoman palaces in Istanbul to its snow-white hot springs in Pamukkale, known as the “cotton castle” in Turkish.
Travel and tourism in Turkey contributed about $96 billion (TRY 461.3 billion) to the country’s economy in 2018, topping European travel growth for the year, according to the World Travel & Tourism Council.
Tourism represents about 12 percent of the country’s gross domestic product (GDP) — meaning that one in every eight Turkish lira is now generated by travel and tourism, says the WTTC.
But after witnessing such a recent strong rebound after years of a slump, the sector is now increasingly vulnerable amid regional geopolitical unrest, a global economic slowdown, as well as Ankara’s military offensive in northern Syria against Kurdish-led fighters.
Today, tour guides operating across the country — from Istanbul to the ancient Aegean city of Eph
