Israelis won't go to Turkey
This should come as no great surprise. Not only do Israelis not want to go to Turkey: They don't even want to change planes there. "I can't sell a Turkish Air ticket going via Istanbul," Mark Feldman, CEO of Zion Tours, told The Jerusalem Post on Thursday. Istanbul is a common stop-over point on the way to many other destinations.My travel agent is at Mark's agency, and five years ago, on her recommendation, Mrs. Carl and I and the four youngest kids flew to New York via Istanbul. There's no way I would do that today. No way at all.
"Nobody, but nobody, wishes to fly there... packages are very cheap, the airline is a good airline... [but] people are voting with their feet," Feldman said.
Relations with Turkey have recently been strained, due to Turkey's withdrawal from an international military exercise involving Israel, a series of verbal assaults from Turkish leaders, and the premiere of a new television series portraying IDF soldiers as murderers. The first episode of the series aired in Turkey on Tuesday evening and depicted IDF soldiers in the West Bank killing a baby and a young girl, and lining up Palestinians to be shot before a firing squad.
According to Feldman, "This [tourism decline] is getting intensified, and the television series will accelerate it. I expect this [Israeli tourist] boycott and this anger to last throughout the fall and winter."
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Tourism from Israel to Turkey took a sharp drop at beginning of 2009, due to Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's vocal objections to Operation Cast Lead. According to Time magazine's Web site, tourism has dropped 47% since the beginning of this year, compared to the same period last year. Exports to Turkey have dropped by 40% in that time.
Feldman said that his agency usually sends about 10,000 tourists a year to Turkey, but Erdogan's statements had a negative impact. "People are still seething after those comments," he said. "Tourism went down over 30%."
Tourism to Turkey had begun to make a comeback, he said. "People were starting to go back to Turkey, and flying Turkish Air, over the summer. People forget, people forgive, and people remember Turkey has good bargains."
The renewed tension this week seems to be reversing that trend. "People who had reservations on Turkish Air told us to cancel them," Feldman told the Post. "We had a family of eight that called me yesterday and told us to cancel."
Feldman said he was also concerned that recent developments posed potential safety risks for his clients.
"I'm very close to telling my office not to sell it [tours to Turkey] at all... [I ask myself], is it safe to fly? Would I recommend going to Istanbul?... Should I let my clients go?"
posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 6:29 AM
6 Comments:
Already 5 years ago, we made a decision that Turkey is a false friend of Israel. I trust my Jewish intuition. It's been working pretty well for the last several decades. Too bad I can't buy an ETF based on it.
Heh. My family boycotts MANY institutions.
For example, we have absolutely nothing to do with Germany. Never visited, will never visit, will never buy a German car, etc.
This is pretty characteristic for many Jewish families. It's also uncharacteristic for many Jewish families.
States have interests not alliances. And interests can and do change. Caroline Glick has said as much in her latest article on the dissolution of the once close relationship between Ankara and Jerusalem.
I'm a German jeckes.
In 1969 I drove through Turkey several times on the way to Iran, where I sold preloved Mercedes to buyers in Teheran.
I remember that every Turk I sat down with told me that "German good, Hitler good" and when I asked them why it was always "because he killed the Jews".
I have told this this story on multiple occasions to my friends in New York and in Australia, and most of them didn't want to believe me.
I also told them that the Obamabastard is a Jew-hatin' POS.
They didn't believe me then and I don't think they would believe me now.
I never was in Turkey and never will go to this genocidal barbarian place. Unfortunately Israeli poilitcians were to long toches kissing on "our turkish friends and allies"
in drerd !!
No need to Visit Turkey with their current government policies and they turning more Turkish people against Jews too. You should most defiantly visit Israel and my home country of Azerbaijan (Baki)
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Hello Everyone
I would like to tell everyone my home country of Azerbaijan, Baku and our historical home of Israel not only have good relaionship. Israel's exports are increasing with Azerbaijan. Good for both sides.
Baruch Hashem. Israel, Jerusalem, Zion forever
Idan Tal, I agree with you 100%. Spineless bastards good for nothing, they don’t have courage to stand up for themselves bunch of traitors.
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Экспорт из Израиля в СНГ сокращается, но в Азербайджан - растет Обогнав Украину и Грузию, Азербайджан стал единственной страной на постсоветском пространстве, в которую Израиль увеличил свой экспорт за последние полгода. Эта республика уже является ...одним из главных экономических партнеров Еврейского государства в мусульманском мире. Baruch Hashem
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