Turkey is hoping for a surge in late bookings from Nordic holiday-makers to save its summer season, but appears to have given up on the Russian market. Scandinavian summer holiday bookings have slumped about 40 per cent in the wake of the terror attack in Istanbul in January .

But tourism minister Mahir Ünal claimed at ITB yesterday:

“There’s been a clear comeback in March. In April and May we expect to have a recovery from the downturn in January and February. We don’t expect an overall decline in the Scandinavian market.”

Stressing that Turkey remains a safe destination, the minister said the country does not want to win back tourists through heavy discounting.

“We do not want to be seen as a cheap destination. We want to maintain our price level,” Ünal said. He also denied having accused tour operators of holding back bookings to try to drive prices down.

Ünal said a forthcoming subsidy of US$6,000 per flight for charter services to selected airports will be extended beyond the initial period of April and May. The minister strongly criticised Russia’s decision to impose a ban on travel to Turkey in response to the downing of a Russian fighter jet last November. “Russia has misused tourism as an instrument for sanctions,” he declared.