THE Turkish Tourist Board has reduced airport tax by 25% and slashed 50% off refuelling costs for charter flights in an attempt to fight a drop in tourism figures.
The threat of terrorist attacks in the country has led to a 11% drop in overall tourism in the last 12 months, and a 4% fall in UKvisitors, according to AC Nielsen industry figures.
Turkish tourist board director Savas Kuce said the dropping of airport tax from ú9.30 to ú7 and the cheaper refuelling facility will apply until the end of June.
The Foreign Office has issued guidelines warning of heightened tensions in the country following the arrest of Abdullah Ocalan, leader of the Kurdish terrorist group PKK.
Areas of concern are Istanbul and the southeast Turkish regions of Van, Hakkari, Sirnak, Tunceli, Diyarbakir and Siirt. Coastal regions have not, as yet, been affected.
But despite the measures, Kuce was confident that reluctance to visit the country would die down as people recovered from the initial shock of the bomb threats.