Turkey's tourism sector in fallout due to the war in Ukraine

Sumela Monastery Turkey

12 May 2022; MEMO: The tourism sector in Turkey is hardest hit by the war between Ukraine and Russia, as the two nations are the first largest group visit Turkey, DW reports.

According to the report, in 2021, around 4.7 million Russian tourists visited Turkey. German holidaymakers were the second-largest group, followed by Ukrainians.

This year, people in Turkey's tourist industry are worried about the future. "The hotel sector is hardest hit by the war," says Firat Solakm, who runs a travel agency in Antalya, a popular Mediterranean resort town.

"We should already be booked out for July and August, but there has been hardly any Russian demand; there are no bookings," Solakm tells DW.

Turkey is one of the most popular vacation destinations in the world, with most international tourists coming from Russia.