Turkey to pay for jet fuel to keep Russian tourists coming

The government is planning new incentives for tour operators and airlines, as part of measures to boost tourism income amid problems in neighboring countries, particularly the economic crisis in Russia and the depreciation of the ruble.

The related ministries held a special meeting on the issue last week, due to concerns about the drop in early bookings, Prime Minister Ahmet Davuto?lu said on Feb. 3, unveiling a raft of new measures.
"Tourism is one of the leading industries in Turkey, but it has been said that we might face serious problems in tourism this year," Davuto?lu said.

As part of the new measures, Turkey will grant $6,000 to all passenger planes from Russia and Iran for the next two months as a contribution into their fuel spending.

"This will prevent the cancellation of flights," Davuto?lu said, adding that this would also ease the burden for tour operators.

He added that the operators would also enjoy a generous credit window.

Ba?aran Ulusoy, the head of the Association of Turkish Travel Agencies (TÜRSAB), said the support would help meet the sector's expectations in a rocky period.

"Supporting planes means supporting tour operators. This will have a direct effect on consumer prices. We have also told officials that passport-free crossing from these two countries [Russia and Iran] is needed, but of course this is a mutual issue for all the countries," Ulusoy said.

However, many sector leaders have suggested that such passport-free travel is impossible due to security concerns.

On Jan. 10, Hürriyet quoted Mehmet Ersoy, the chairman of tour operator Etstur, as suggesting that Turkey should compensate the costs of fuel for planes arriving from Russia in order not to lose out...