“Tourism business has died down,” such a high-profile conclusion was made by the correspondent of Moskovsky Komsomolets, who visited Istanbul. Based on its material, we can conclude that only shop tourists now arrive in the once cultural capital of Turkey, looking for familiar brands and buying them in bulk in Istanbul. As a result, even guides are now forced to retrain as shopping and finance assistants. The latter is no less relevant for many Russians, since the Mir card in Turkey, at best, works every other time, at worst, it does not work at all. At the same time, both tickets and food in Istanbul have risen in price significantly.
In total, the journalist found seven reasons for the decline in tourism. And they are:
- The first reason is that ticket prices are too high, while tourists have to fly for about six hours instead of the previous three hours. Liners, however, are packed “to the eyeballs.”
- Upon arrival, “people looked tense,” the correspondent assures. Still – tourists have to “pass the quest with currency exchange, calling a taxi and paying for the hotel.” And, in her words, not everyone will safely reach the finish line. Panic questions began on the plane, the witness assures.
- The third reason is that there are really problems with getting the currency. There are only five banks that accept Mir cards and their ATMs work every other time. Moreover, there are only five such banks in Istanbul. The correspondent assures that she was unlucky, and the ATM did not accept the card. At the same time, restrictions have been placed on the Chinese Union Pay. The course also leaves much to be desired.
- In hotels, according to the correspondent, the Mir card also does not work. The same applies to restaurants and shopping centers. As a result, you have to walk around with large wads of cash. At the same time, four nights in a hotel cost her 450 euros.
- Food prices in Istanbul have risen one and a half times, for example, coffee is 18-35 liras (57-110 rubles), and a hearty Turkish breakfast for two is 250 liras (800 rubles). As local residents assured the tourist – “after a special operation.” However, we recall that the rise in prices in Turkey started back in January…
- According to the guides, which the correspondent reports: “No one is interested in museums, the sights of Istanbul. We are now mastering a new profession – a shopping guide. Russian tourists are fleeing en masse to outlets and bazaars. “They buy absolutely everything – equipment, cosmetics, clothes, medicines. Rich tourists fly for expensive brands. Here they can not do without our help. Your cards do not pass in boutiques, it will not work to pay for a large purchase in cash, ”the author paints. According to her, stylists from Moscow reoriented their tourists to Istanbul. However, in “boutiques where brands are sold” there are few Russians – it's expensive. At the same time, according to the blogger, the Laleli shuttle market, where the Russians once stocked up, is “dying out”. However, the author of the article nevertheless met Russian women who are loaded with boxes of “pads, tampons, gels and shampoos.”
- Political reasons come last. Locals said that Ukrainian tourists don’t particularly go to the conflict, having heard the Russian speech, they immediately leave the store. The Turks, on the other hand, are not particularly interested in the topic – they are concerned about price increases and the upcoming elections, and not about the political situation somewhere in Russia and around.
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