Turkish economy is hit by protests

Protests in Turkey

After five days of public protests, the consequences have begun to affect the Turkish government and the tourism sector. In recent days, about 40% of hotel reservations in the Istanbul region have been canceled.

The Union of Hotels and Tourism Investors confirmed that there are many countries, both Western and Middle Eastern, who advise their citizens not to travel to the country. Members of the Federation of Hotel Owners in the country said the cancellations already account for 10%, due to the transmitted images of the demonstrations.

Turkey has five days living with massive protests and clashes between citizens and the police mainly in Istanbul and Ankara, and also cities in other regions. The demonstrations were sparked by the forced eviction of a peaceful camping in the Gezi park in Istanbul, but these have focused on the authoritarian character of the Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan. The protesters demand that he give’s up his post.

According to data of the Interior Minister the protests have spread to 77 of the 81 provinces of Turkey and yesterday there were 603 demonstrations.