The statements by the Russian Federal Service for the Oversight of Consumer Protection and Welfare (Rospotrebnadzor) that there is a virus present at some holiday resorts in Turkey did not dissuade the Russians from visiting, with only less than 0.1 percent of tourists planning a holiday in Turkey having wanted to cancel their bookings.
While there has been a record-high increase in tourist flows from Russia to Turkey, reportedly, some Russian tourists have fallen sick due to health problems at the holiday resorts in Antalya and had to leave their vacations early.
A Rospotrednadzor official announced that there are no safe conditions for Russian tourists in the gulf region of Antalya and that a Coxsackie virus was found.
According to Russian Kommersant daily, Russian tourists have not canceled their vacations in Turkey despite the warnings. The claims about a virus did not cause intense booking cancelations among the total 600,000 tours purchased.
According to data from the Association of Tour Operators in Russia (ATOR), only about 0.17 percent (about 1,000 tours) among total bookings was canceled. Currently, the number of Russian tourists vacationing in Turkey is 375,000.
Olga Anisko, sales manager for Level.travel, a Russian holiday sales website, said they did not receive many calls for booking cancelations. Anisko emphasized that only 0.1 percent of bookings were cancelled, saying that the claims of increased sickness complaints in Turkey are "fabricated."
