Will Bombs Scare Away Turkish Tourists?
I S T A N B U L, Turkey, Dec. 15 -- The maze of shops comprising the exotic Grand Bazaar in central Istanbul has carpets, jewelry, souvenirs — everything, it seems, but customers.
Shopkeepers say the wave of terrorist attacks that stunnedTurkey's most important commercial city and killed 57 people hasfrightened buyers away.
"Business has changed. It has almost died," said Mehmet Uzungun,32, a salesman at a bazaar gift shop. "After the firstattacks, it was kind of OK. But after the second attacks, there'snothing."
Still, economists say it is too early to tell whether theattacks will inflict long-term damage on Turkey's tourism industryor derail its economic upswing.
"We don't have enough data," said Serhan Cevik of MorganStanley in London. "This is an irrational act that will have someconsequences. It's a big economy, so it will recover. But if thisgoes on, it could become an issue."
Summer Will Be Key
The splendor of Istanbul draws millions of curious visitors eachyear. But suicide attacks against two Istanbul synagogues on Nov.15 and then again five days later against the British Consulate andlocal headquarters of a London-based bank have severely shaken thecity.
Tourists are still here, but whether that will change when thecrucial high season gets underway in the summer of 2004 is one ofthe key questions hanging over this nation as it recovers from thecarnage.
Foreign governments — including the United States, Britain,Australia and Germany — have issued an outpouring of warnings thattheir citizens should avoid nonessential travel to Turkey.
But the Turkish Hotel Association said that advising people tostay away plays into the hands of terrorists trying to sow chaos.
"What we request from our neighbors, friends around the worldand allied countries is to encourage travel to Turkey more thanbefore," the association said in a statement. "Travel so that theterrorists will see that the world is together."
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