This time, the mass cancellation of reservations for tours to resorts in Turkey was recorded not in Russia, but popular Greece. The wave of cancellations swept through aggravation of the political crisis between the two NATO countries.
The tension on the Ankara-Athens route also affected the tourism sector. Since the beginning of the political crisis, there has been a decrease in the number of tourists arriving in Turkey from Greece. At the same time, the Turks do not want to give up vacations in the neighboring country and do not massively cancel their travel applications, so the Greek side will not lose income from Turkish vacationers this year, who will spend approximately 1 billion euros this year.
According to Turkish media, tour operators explain the different reactions of neighbors to the same events as follows: “Greeks are more conservative in this regard. They take immediate action on the political events that are taking place. We can figure it out by the numbers. There is a decrease in the number of tourists coming to Turkey, there is a cancellation of reservations. Some make this decision, perhaps for political reasons that they do not consider safe. However, Turks continue to travel to Greece. It is a matter of choice. Trade and tourism should not stop because of the crisis.”
Background: NATO allies Greece and Turkey have long been embroiled in a series of historical disputes, including maritime boundaries, the delimitation of their continental shelves, and the status of the divided island of Cyprus. Discontent has been growing since Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis used a visit to the United States in May this year to effectively lobby against Ankara’s attempts to buy F-16 fighter jets from Washington. Mitsotakis said that the Turkish Air Force violates Greek airspace every day. This prompted Erdogan to say that he no longer recognizes the existence of the Greek prime minister and that the Aegean islands, ceded to Greece under international treaties more than a century ago, are “occupied”. In addition, the Turkish authorities are alarmed by the growing cooperation between Greece and the United States in the field of defense and security in recent years. Greece gave the US access to several military bases and renewed mutual defense cooperation in 2021 and, according to Turkey, armed islands in the Aegean Sea that are supposed to be demilitarized under international law.