Airlines Cash in on Russia’s Turkey Tourism Revival

The price of airplane tickets from Moscow to the Turkish resort of Antalya have risen by 75.6 percent in the last week as companies cash in on a surge of Russian holidaymakers visiting the country, The Moscow Times reports.

Data from the Association of Tour Operators of Russia (ATOR) also reported found that the number of direct and connecting flights to Antalya have gone up by 25 percent since Russian President Vladimir Putin officially lifted restrictions on tourism in Turkey on June 30.

Prices are expected to fall 30 percent in the coming weeks when charter flights are cleared to resume by the Federal Air Transport Agency.

Some 23 thousand people searched for Antalya ticket prices in a single day on July 5, but flights to Istanbul have not seen similar demand, ATOR said.

Potential tourists appear to be continuing to steer clear of the city following a terrorist attack at the city’s Ataturk airport on June 28 despite reassurances of increased security measures.

The Kremlin banned package tours to Turkey after a Russian jet was shot down by the Turkish air force in November last year. The measure was lifted following an apology by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.