Russians lead in tourists to Turkey as Ankara refuses to impose restrictions

Turkey refuses to impose restrictions on Russian tourists amid European pressure aimed at punishing Moscow over the war in Ukraine, leaving the door open for Russians to top the list of visitors to Turkey.

The Russian news agency Novosti quoted Turkish economic commentator Mustafa Recep Ersin, saying that Turkey is firm in its stance of not making concessions to the West regarding restrictions on Russian tourists.

Ersin explained that Ankara set a basic condition that the European Union must not force it to take such decisions, noting that Turkey considers the tourism sector to be of critical importance.

He added that despite the restrictions on the export of some goods and services to Russia, Turkey remains committed to its stance of not making any concessions in the field of tourism.

Ersin further stated: “It is clear that Turkey has sent a strong message to the West: If you force me to restrict trade in goods, I will do what is necessary, but do not ask me to do so in tourism,” noting that the country has seen an increased influx of tourists, especially Russians, this year.

The Russian agency also quoted an unnamed source from the Turkish Ministry of Culture and Tourism saying that Turkish authorities do not expect significant changes in the number of Russian tourists this year due to payment issues and are relying on similar indicators to previous years.