Holiday in Turkey makes up half of early bookings in Russia

Half of early reservation vacation sales in Russia are for travel to Turkey.The cancellation of charter flights due to the strained ties between Russia and Turkey following the shooting down of a Russian jet by Turkey in November 2015 and terror attacks in Turkey resulted in a significant decrease in the number of tourists visiting Turkey. With other positive improvements that have come with the normalization of ties between the two countries is the return of Russian tourists to Turkey for their vacations once more.

In a statement released by the Association of Tour Operators in Russia (ATOR), which was drawn up in accordance with the assessments of Russian tour operators and agencies, it stated that 50 percent of early reservation sales were recorded for vacations in Turkey.

Early reservations for a vacation in Turkey started in September 2015, according to the statement, which also underscored, "Russian tourists miss Turkey. Citizens want to get the benefit of early reservation discounts."

The statement also said that, because of a surging Russian ruble and discounts provided by Turkish hotels, Turkey is the primary vacation choice for Russians.

Demand for a vacation in Turkey by Russians has doubled compared to 2015. Greece, Bulgaria, Spain and other cities in Russia make up the remaining 50 percent of preferred vacation destinations for Russian tourists.

The statement points out that the most popular destinations in Turkey for Russians are the Alanya, Side and Kemer districts in the Mediterranean city of Antalya, and that some of the hotels in this region offer discounts of up to 50 percent.