Culture and Tourism Minister Mahir Ünal said on Thursday that, despite counter terrorism operations in three provinces, it should not be presented as if chaos is erupting all over Turkey, adding that terror will strike those who seek to portray it as their competitive advantage. Ünal said this in the context of a speech at the inauguration ceremony of the 20th East Mediterranean International Travel & Tourism Exhibition (EMITT).
Stressing that terror is not a problem for a single country alone, but for the entire world, the minister argued turning terror into a competitive advantage to challenge Turkey is neither moral nor humanitarian.
Ünal spoke with journalists after the inauguration and touched on the impact the crisis has on the tourism sector with Russia over the downing of the Su-24 in November. The minister said that the Turkish tourism sector has taken measures against the possible loss of Russian tourists by having talks with Dutch, Spanish and German authorities to invite their tourists to Turkey.
Meanwhile, Turkey will host Expo 2016 in Antalya between April and October. Stressing that Expo 2016 is greater than the Olympics, Ünal stated the Expo will help Turkey make up for the possible loss of Russian tourists. He added that Turkey is powerful enough to overcome this crisis, as each crisis brings opportunities. According to the minister, there have been ongoing studies to structure the tourism sector through market and product diversification over the past two years.
Referring to the impacts of the Sultan Ahmet bombing on tourism, Ünal stated that terror incidents restrict the freedom of travel as they spread fear. He referenced the statements that the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) and other organizations released after the Sultan Ahmet bombing, stating that the world's embracing a common stance against terror further highlighted Istanbul's prestige as cultural heritage which should be protected. According to the minister, the world embraced Istanbul to prevent the terror from succeeding. Although some hotel bookings were cancelled in the city immediately following the explosion, the sector recovered quickly thanks to steps taken. Tourism in Istanbul was not greatly affected by the bombing, Ünal said.
Istanbul Governor Vasip Şahin said despite recent developments which disturbed security around Turkey over the past year, Istanbul at least as safe as other metropolises such as London, New York, Beijing, Tokyo and Paris. He underlined that the highest-level security measures are taken in Istanbul, and Şahin urged investors, travel agencies, and tourists to feel safe in the city.
The EMITT exhibition, one of the largest tourism fairs in the world, displays regional food, clothes, games as well as the models of historic structures from various parts of Turkey and around the world. The exhibition will last until Jan. 31.
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