Given what has been happening in Turkey for the last few months is anyone still planning to come here on there hols this year... Since i arrived here 18 months ago they have been quite a few bombs and asassinations. They have just arrested the guy that killed all those people in the nightclub on New Years Eve. He was living 300 yards from where I work in Esenyurt, Istanbul, a hell-hole of an area, full of Syrians, Afghans and god knows what else. When I tell people where i work they just laugh and wince. We have friends that work in the tourism industry and they tell me that bookings are down about 50-60%.
I went to Turkey years ago. Never again. Not my cup of tea at all. Likewise the middle east and North Africa.
Loved Istanbul when I went, been there 3 times and got some mates who work there or come from there. Different flavour from North Africa imo. Morocco and Egypt I got sick of being constantly harassed by street vendors etc, in Turkey you're still a customer but they typically know how to finesse it without being intimidating. Any country is going to struggle to attract tourists while having a warzone on its border and a massive refugee crisis to deal with. It's a shame as well that Erdogan is busy making it into a little dictatorship, when the people I know from there I would say are intelligent, critically-minded people who want their country to be successful and welcoming.
What annoys me about Turkey is their hotel star rating. They're all '5 stars'. Then you look at the pictures and there's a flea ridden dog on the bed and a meth head floating in the pool.
I'm coming over there twice. Marmaris (where Erdogan fled to recently) and Istanbul, once again staying in Sultanahmet. I feel safer in Turkey than walking around London. I may also bool to Izmir for a bit looksee in late Autumn. No ISIS **** is gonna disrupt my plans.
Istanbul (and probably a jaunt from there to Cappadocia) is on my list of places for a short break although the terrorism makes me less likely to visit. I wouldn't see myself doing a beach holiday in Turkey anyway as it's not really my thing. I'd probably still go as I don't like the idea of these headcases getting what they want and chasing away tourists and I believe you have to be very unlucky to get caught up in any kind of incident. Got to feel sorry for all the people who were working in the Tunisian tourist industry. People just stopped coming overnight.
Would love to go back this year if we have time. Like to visit Cappadocia having been there when I was a lot younger as an add-on to a month working in Ankara.
Went to Antalya last year in Turkey, it was lovely. We even went when there was the military coup and didn't actually know about it until it was over. Turkey's a great holiday destination, just stick to the south and avoid Istanbul and Ankara.
They hadn't invented balloon rides when I was there but the landscape and the cave houses are amazing.