The French bill approved by French Parliament criminalizing denial of the “Armenian genocide” last month has not only outraged Turks, but also drew strong condemnation from both the Turkish government and the opposition.
Public opinion of France has significantly soured in Turkey, where people are choosing to spend their holidays overseas elsewhere, ntvmsnbc.com reported Pronto Tour Chairman Ali Onaran as saying.
Onaran, explaining the findings of Pronto Tour's 2011 annual report, said the introduction of the France's proposed genocide claim law has led to a decrease in package tour sales to France among Turkish tourists.
Onaran warned of the Turkish industry and public's reaction to France's genocide bill.
In 2011, a total of 150,000 tourists from Turkey visited France, the annual report found. In 2012, however, tourism from Turkey to France is expected to drop between 20 and 25 percent.
A similar trend appears to be taking place in France, Onaran said. A total of 1.14 million French tourists came to Turkey in 2011, but he noted a decrease in the number of tourists from France thus far this year.
