Turkey 'more attractive than ever' for German tourists

By Erbil Basay

BERLIN (AA) - Germany's leading tour operator, FTI Group, is optimistic about the tourist season in Turkey this summer, despite the recent political tensions between Berlin and Ankara.

“There is no reason not to travel to Turkey now. In fact, Turkey has never been more attractive than today," CEO Dietmar Gunz told Anadolu Agency.

“Regardless of all the topics discussed nowadays in media, Turkey remains the most important holiday destination for us. I believe that we will have a great summer this year,” he added.

Turkey has been one of the most popular travel destinations of German holidaymakers, but the number of German tourists declined in the last two years, largely due to safety concerns and conflicts in countries neighboring Turkey.

While the number of German tourists dropped from 5.5 million in 2015 to 3.9 million in 2016, Gunz remains optimistic for the upcoming season.

Stressing that Turkey is a safe holiday destination for tourists, Gunz said they are witnessing again a renewed interest among Germans for holiday in Turkey.

“As the FTI Group, we are expecting a significant increase this year in summer holiday bookings to Turkey,” Gunz said, adding that they are planning to open two new hotels in the southwestern resort towns of Bodrum and Marmaris this month, to meet the growing demand.

According to the Investment, Support and Promotion Agency of Turkey, the country is the world’s sixth most popular tourist destination, attracting more than 30 million tourists annually. Turkey is aiming to attract eight million extra tourists this year to boost earnings from tourism to $50 billion.