TIRANA, Sept. 13 – Albanians were among the only European tourists whose number continued increasing in July 2016 when Turkey faced unrest triggered by a failed coup in July 15 to 16, according to data published by Turkey’s tourism ministry.
Data shows some 10,707 Albanians visited Turkey last July, registering an annual 7.7 percent increase, second only compared to Ukraine’s 70 percent hike in tourists.
Turkey faced a 37 percent cut in tourists last July affected by its failed coup effects and a drastic decline in tourists from Russia due to travel restrictions imposed by Russia following a late 2015 conflict.
The mid-July turmoil in Turkey only temporarily suspended flights to Turkey from Albania’s sole international airport but charter flights to Turkey’s tourist resorts were not affected.
“The situation in Turkey had no impact on holidaymaker reservations. The situation ended quickly and we had no request to cancel or postpone reservations,” Albanian tour operators said.
Some 44,155 Albanian tourists visited Turkey in the first eight months of this year, up 3.4 percent compared to the same period last year.
Albania’s travel agencies say that Turkey has emerged as one of the top destinations for Albanian holidaymakers in the past few years due to its famous resorts offering all-inclusive packages which also include charter flights.
Back in 2015, a record 80,000 Albanians visited Turkey, with their number peaking in July-August.
Turkey is one of Albania’s key trading partners and foreign investors. Relations between the two countries have recently been strained after Turkish officials have asked Albania to dismantle institutions linked to what it calls the Fethullah Terrorist Organization (FETO) allegedly run by U.S.-based Islamic cleric Fethullah Gulen whom it accused of masterminding the failed July 15-16 coup to topple Turkey’s president Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
