Turkey works out anti-crisis strategy for Russian tourists

MOSCOW, February 3. /TASS/. Turkey has developed a special strategy against the decline in Russian tourists amid the falling rouble, the director of promotion for Turkey's Ministry of Culture and Tourism, said on Tuesday. "Our government is currently working on a special package of measures for the tourist industry," Irfan Onal told a news conference in Moscow. He said Turkey intended to allocate $6,000 on each flight carrying Russian tourists to compensate travel spendings. Onal said the strategy's aim was "to esnure a stable flow of Russian tourists to Turkish resorts, especially, during the crisis period." Gulcin Guler, a spokesperson for the Turkish Hoteliers Federation, said the country's hotels would offer discounts to Russian holiday-makers. Turkey is one of most popular travel destinations for Russians along with Egypt, Greece and Cyprus. According to the Russian Association of Tour Operators, the cost of 2015 summer vacations abroad may grow by 80 percent for Russians compared to last year. Amid the rouble crisis, Egyptian hotels offer 20 percent discounts to Russian tour operators, while hotels of Greece and Cyprus announced a 30-40 percent discount on early booking deals. Read more