The Culture and Tourism Ministry will grant $6,000 to A-group travel agencies for each flight carrying tourists to Turkey between April 1 and May 31. The tourism sector faces a downward trend in the number of tourists visiting Turkey after the Russian military jet downing crisis last November and several terrorist attacks in the country. As such, the government is taking certain measures such as providing financial support for flights in order to support the sector.

Travel agencies wanting to benefit from the incentive need to apply to the ministry by Aug. 1 to receive grants for the flights between April 1 and April 30. Also, Aug. 31 is the final application date to receive grants for flights between May 1 and May 31. The communique including procedures and principles regarding the decision took effect after being promulgated in the official gazette.

The support will be given to travel agencies that carry tourists to Turkey through scheduled and non-scheduled flights between midnight local time on April 1 to 11:59 p.m. local time on May 31. In case of non-scheduled flights, the amount of support given will be calculated on the basis of the ratio of the number of passengers that a travel agency carries to the total number of passengers that other travel agencies carry.

The ministry will offer incentives to travel agencies by the middle of the following month. Payments will be made in Turkish lira on the basis of benchmark foreign exchange rates cited in the Central Bank of the Republic of Turkey's (CBRT) exchange list on the payment day.