Turkish Deputy Minister of Tourism Ozgur Ozaslan expressed his hopes that Israeli tourists will return toTurkey. The government official spoke over the weekend with Israeli Ambassador to Serbia Yossef Levy.
"Antalia and Istanbul miss the Israeli tourists" said Ozaslan.
The two officials spoke during the opening event of the Serbian international tourism fair. The fair is hosting over 1000 presenters from 46 countries. This is the first time the Israel Ministry of Tourism is participating in the fair.
Regardless, the guest of honor at the Serbian fair was Turkey - the most important destination for Serbian tourists. The opening event included a screening of a Turkish image video, and a traditional Ottoman dance.
During the fair, Deputy Minister Ozaslan met with the Israeli ambassador, and expressed his hopes for more cooperation between the countries in the future. "I hope the Israeli tourists will return to Turkey, we miss them," said the deputy minister.
Ambassador Levy replied that as soon as the good relations between the countries will be restored, tourism will flourish. "Israel tourists will probably return to Turkey when they will feel welcome and liked. Unfortunately this is not the situation today," he said.