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Earthquake in Turkey influenced the choice of Azerbaijani tourists

Caucasus (bbabo.net), - The devastating earthquake in Turkey forced the citizens of Azerbaijan, who were planning a vacation in this country, to make adjustments to their plans. Travelers who have booked tour packages to Turkey for the summer months are currently being wary of completing their payment. The head of one of the Azerbaijani travel companies, Aziz Shiriyev, said this in an interview with the Report news agency.

According to him, when booking early, vacationers make a certain advance payment, and the rest of the amount is paid in installments, or immediately before the trip, depending on the agreement between the company and the client.

“The earthquake led to a reduction in trips to Turkey both from Azerbaijan and from other countries of the world. The issue of refusal of tour packages in Azerbaijan is not currently relevant. The wait-and-see attitude of clients is connected with the forecasts of seismologists that a repetition of the earthquake is possible in Turkey,” the source said.

In connection with the current situation, interest in domestic tours has increased among Azerbaijani citizens. As a rule, during the Novruz holiday, Azerbaijanis prefer to visit Dubai, European countries and Egypt. The head of the travel company also noted that after the earthquake, prices for tours to Turkey decreased.

“The cost of 3-4-day tours to Turkey has fallen from 565 to 500 US dollars,” he informed.

The head of the Azerbaijan Tourism Association, Ahmed Gurbanov, in turn, told Report that after the earthquake in February, rumors spread about a massive reduction in trips to Turkey.

“Even if a certain part of the citizens refuse to book, there are still those who want to visit this country,” Gurbanov emphasized.

As an alternative destination, Azerbaijani tourists prefer Egypt, Montenegro and European countries.

Samir Dubendi, Executive Director of the Ecotourism Association of Azerbaijan, stated that the earthquake in Turkey definitely influenced the choice of tourists:

“The tourism sector is sensitive to any economic, political, social, including natural shocks. At the heart of the choice of certain tourist routes by a potential tourist are complex psychological processes of perception and human needs. An earthquake is an event that causes anxiety and excitement among people, a huge tragedy has occurred before our eyes.”

Dubendi noted that customers return previously purchased tours and air tickets to Turkey, but this is not widespread.

“At present, there is a revival in the domestic tourism market, since new large hotel complexes have been put into operation in the regions, and new complexes are expected to open. The supply on the domestic market is growing. Citizens who have the opportunity and desire also visit several popular foreign destinations. These are Russia, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, the countries of Western and Eastern Europe,” said the head of the association.

Recall that on February 6, with the epicenter in the southeastern province of Kahramanmarash, two earthquakes with a magnitude of more than 7.5 occurred. The death toll from the most devastating natural disaster in the history of the Republic of Turkey, according to the latest data, exceeded 44.3 thousand people. Over the past three weeks, more than 10,000 aftershocks have been registered in the country.

Earthquake in Turkey influenced the choice of Azerbaijani tourists