Vacationers hold off plans to visit Turkey after coup

AMMAN — A number of Jordanian vacationers have postponed their bookings to Turkey after the attempted military coup in the country, an industry representative said on Saturday.

Shaher Hamdan, president of the Jordan Society of Tourism and Travel Agents, told The Jordan Times that travel agencies across the Kingdom reported that Jordanian holidaymakers have asked to delay their trips to Turkey until a clearer picture emerges of the security situation there, adding that cancellation of trips were limited. 

“I’m in contact with travel agencies, which said that the majority of customers wanted to delay their trips to Turkey,” Hamdan said. 

He noted that a travel agency told him that it would operate four tourist flights to Turkey on Sunday, indicating that Turkish Airlines operated a flight from Amman in the afternoon of Saturday. 

He added that over the past five years, Turkey has been a preferred destination for tens of thousands of Jordanian tourists, particularly during long Eid holidays. 

Turkey and Sharm El Sheikh are considered affordable travel destinations for Jordan tourists, according to Hamdan. 

Late last month, a terror attack on Ataturk Airport in Istanbul prompted many Jordanian vacationers to cancel their bookings to Turkey. 

Three Jordanians were among the victims of the deadly attack on the airport.