Some Armenians call it “a disgrace.” Others put it down to price. Turkey's popular Mediterranean resort town of Antalya ranks as Armenians'
Yerevan travel agency managers report that, amidst a grueling economic slowdown, Antalya's reputation for low prices and high-quality customer service outweighs for many customers the fact that it is located within the borders of longtime foe Turkey.
Tez Tour's Armenia office director, Narine Davtian, estimates that by summer's end her Russian-owned agency will have twice the number of Antalya-bound customers as the 8,000 who chose to travel to the Turkish town in 2008. Armavia's four direct flights to Antalya each week from Yerevan, a service offered by Tez Tour, are regularly full, she said.
“I am a patriot, but let's not mix tourism and politics,“ Daytian commented. “No other country can provide the same range [of travel options] and quality. People want a good vacation and they get it.”
Other travel company managers echo that assessment. “We offer tours to different destinations — Bulgaria, Greece, Italy, Georgia, Jordan — but the hottest tours are to Antalya in Turkey,” said Flight agency manager Marine Ayvazian, who estimated that the town is the choice of 70 percent of Flight's customers.
The government has no data on the number of Armenians who travel to Turkey each summer. Armenian travel agencies, it says, will not share the information, and the lack of diplomatic ties with Turkey means no alternative option for the data exists.
But while the notion of swimming in the Mediterranean Sea may appeal to many landlocked Armenians, posters promoting Antalya's “delightful”
EurasiaNet
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