By Mahmut Geldi
BEIRUT (AA) – With its rich natural beauty and luxury beach resorts, Turkey remains a leading attraction for foreign tourists around the globe, especially in the Arab world.
Lebanese tourists in particular prefer Turkey for its natural wonders, its many leisure destinations and — of course — its great shopping opportunities.
Enjal Awwad, chairman of Lebanon’s Institute for Civil Aviation Research, told Anadolu Agency on Wednesday that Turkey remained a “favored holiday destination” for Lebanese vacationers.
According to Awwad, the number of Lebanese tourists visiting Turkey this year has increased significantly, already surpassing 2017 figures.
This month alone, he pointed out, between 29 and 44 flights had flown each day from Turkey to Lebanon.
Noting that good holiday packages in Turkey were available for as little as $500, Awwad also pointed out that both countries’ visa-free entrance policies also contributed to Turkey’s appeal among Lebanese tourists.
Fawaz Fawaz, a Beirut-based official at Turkey’s Atlasglobal Airlines, said that Lebanese people loved Turkey’s natural beauty, which in some cases is similar to that seen in Lebanon.
“Meanwhile, the reasonable prices [found in Turkey] appeal to everyone,” he said.
According to Fawaz, Lebanese tourists generally enjoy Turkish beach resorts during the summer season, while Istanbul remains a favored destination in wintertime.
“With our four daily flights to Turkey, we generally carry about 800 Lebanese tourists,” he said.
“We expect that 80,000 Lebanese tourists will have visited Turkey this summer thanks to our company,” he added.
Fawaz went on to say that Lebanese tourist arrivals to Turkey had increased as much as 50 percent year-on-year in 2017.
He called on the Turkish Culture and Tourism Ministry to do more to promote the tourist-friendly cities of Trabzon and Izmir, along with other less-known touristic areas in Turkey.
“Lebanese airlines want to offer more flights to Turkey,” Fawaz said. “We expect to break more records through the end of the year.”
Rita Agnatyos, for her part, who works at a Lebanese travel agency, confirmed Turkey’s appeal among the Lebanese.
“For Lebanese people, Turkey has become a favorite,” she said. “The first half of 2018 has already seen a 50-percent increase in tourist numbers.”
“Daily direct flights to Antalya, Dalaman and Bodrum satisfy our Lebanese clientele, with most of our customers returning to Turkey later,” she added.
According to Agnatyos, there are numerous reasons why Lebanese tourists choose Turkey.
“Lebanese tourists prefer Turkey for its many advantages, which include entertainment, shopping, visa-free entry, and relatively close location,” she said.
Agnatyos concluded by saying that Turkey was set to remain “a leading attraction” for Lebanese vacationers.
*Ali Murat Alhas contributed to this report from Ankara
