Turkish Hoteliers Changed Their Mind Regarding a ‘Black List’

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   According to the President of Association of Owners and Directors of Mediterranean Hotels, Osman Aiik, who visited Moscow the other day, Turkey hotels decided not to form a ‘black list’ of Russian tour operators. You may recall from earlier bulletins that the Association planed to form the list from companies-debtors (news/04.10.05). The idea to publish a list appeared in autumn 2005 after a scandal regarding Az tour tourists accommodation. At that time Osman Aiik pointed out in the interview to a BANKO correspondent that if hoteliers did not know an operator they would require a certain deposit (news/30.09.05).
    However, at the moment the position of Turkish hotels is different. ‘We can only recommend our hoteliers to choose operators carefully to work with. It is necessary to check history and company’s reputation in the Tourist Board of Turkey in Moscow and to meet potential partners personally. But publishing a ‘black list’ is impossible from the commercial point of view’, said Osman Aiik in the interview to a BANKO correspondent. According to Russian travel market experts, the present position of Turkish hoteliers can be explained by the situation in the Turkish travel market before the start of the season. ‘The outbreak of bird flu, ‘caricature scandal’ affected cancellations of bookings by European companies. And if now a non-grata operator decides to make a contract with Turkish hotels, they will not refuse’, said Gennadyi Kosarev, General Director of Fresh Travel. Furthermore, Marina Mantula, Sales Director Deputy of Detour, added: ‘in the current situation Moscow travel companies should initiate ‘tests’ for Turkish hotels’.
    Nevertheless, Osman Aiik, contradicted the opinion about hard times for Turkish resorts. ‘Turkey is still popular with Russian tourists and they will continue traveling to our country’, he said.