Turkey tourism down 25 percent

The number of foreign visitors to Turkey fell by a quarter in October, official data showed on Tuesday, the smallest contraction in seven months as arrivals from Russia showed a marked recovery after Ankara restored ties with Moscow. Tourism, which adds about $30 billion to gross domestic product each year, has been hammered after a spate of bombings this year, including an attack on Istanbul's main airport, and a failed coup in July, scared away Western European tourists.
But the drop-off in Russian tourists, who traditionally flock to Turkey's Mediterranean beaches and make pilgrimages to its Byzantium-era Orthodox churches, had been particularly painful. Relations soured after Turkey shot down a Russian warplane over Syria last year.