Turkish tourism will benefit 'the apology'

Jak Eskinazi, Israel's honorary consulate in Izmir and the vice president of the ?zmir Chamber of Commerce said normalization in relations will reflect into the tourism sector towards the end of the summer season and moreover, its actual affects would be seen next year. Speaking to Anadolu Agency (AA) in regards to the recent developments between Israel and Turkey's relations, he said, despite of political relations almost coming to a stopping point during the three years period, the trade relations continued and the trade volume increased with noting over USD 4.5 billion. Eskinazi drew attentions to a major drop in tourism in the three year period and stated, negative media coverage in both countries affected the travel choices of the people in both countries. He said he thinks the number of tourists who visit Turkey will rise with the start of the normalization of relations of both countries. He noted, Israeli tourists leave high amount of currency where ever they visit and that is why the number of tourists who come from Israel will have important bringings into Turkey's budget. "The normalization in relations will not have a quick effect in tourism because bookings for the summer season have already been completed. The holiday season in Israel is between the end of September and the beginning of October. If there were bookings being made then we'll see an increase for the next season," stated Eskinazi. "Turkish Airlines and Pegasus Airlines fly 5 to 6 times a day between two countries. Additional flights will show the signs of relations becoming normal" he said. Furthermore, Eskinazi highlighted that the normalization of the Turkey-Israel relations will also make east of Mediterranean a popular destination in the cruise liner tourism. After Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu called Turkish counterpart Tayyip Erdogan last week to apologize for the fatal raid on a Turkish aid ship Mavi Marmara in 2010, the frozen political relations between two countries are expected to grow to normalization.