09 August 2018•Update: 10 August 2018
By Qais Abu Samra, Esra Cetin and Afra Aksoy
RAMALLAH, Palestine
Turkey, with its numerous beach resorts and historical affinity with the Arab world, remains a leading destination for Palestinian tourists.
Nadir Houri, head of the Palestinian Association for Travel and Tourism, told Anadolu Agency that Palestinians generally considered Turkey one of the world’s most viable tourist locales.
“Around 70 percent of Palestinian tourists choose Turkey because of its reasonable prices and the high-quality service available at Turkish resorts,” Houri said.
Ala Kabajah, head of Ramallah’s Travel House travel agency, said “dozens” of his clients had recently made reservations for trips to Turkey this summer.
“Recent years have seen a noticeable increase in visits to Turkey by Palestinian vacationers,” he said.
According to Kabajah, another main factor that attracts Palestinian tourists to Turkey is the country’s deep cultural and historical affinity with the Arab world.
“Due to our shared culture, Palestinian travelers rarely encounter difficulties finding what they want in Turkey,” he said.
Ikrama al-Asmar, a 27-year-old Palestinian who recently spent his honeymoon in Turkey, told Anadolu Agency: “I chose Turkey for its natural beauty, its luxury resorts and -- last but not least -- its reasonable prices.”
