Risk & Crisis Management in Tourism Sector:
Recovery from Crisis
in the OIC Member Countries
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By 1985, the tourism authorities realised that sustainability of products and protection of
environment were necessary. The next plan started to diversify the tourism offer, although the
traditional mass tourism continued to expand. In the 1990-95 plan there was a clear emphasis
on environmental sustainability and cultural protection as well as further diversification and
human resource development.
During the 1990's the region faced serious crises, namely the Gulf War (1990-91), a civil war in
former Yugoslavia (1991-2001) and devastating earthquakes in 1999 in northwestern Turkey.
Nevertheless, tourism in Turkey showed its resilience and continued its growth during most of
these years. In 1995, there were 7,083,000 international arrivals, with foreign exchange
earnings of US$ 4,957 million. However, 1999 saw an abrupt decline of 25% in international
visitors from the previous year, from 8.96 million in 1998 to 6.893 million in 1999 (Yalol, 2015).
Since the Millennium the tourism authorities have been focussing on quality improvements,
intensifying marketing, diversifying the products offered and improving accessibility to
products by investing in air transport. Meanwhile tourism has been included in the national
strategy “Tourism Strategy of Turkey-2023”, announced in 2007, and which is enabling the
sector to implement strategic planning, and to enhance public-private as well as national-
regional collaboration.
In the first fifteen years of this millennium tourism in Turkey grew substantially. Between 2000
and 2005 the number of international arrivals increased from 9.59 million to 20.27 million. In
2011 most of the South Mediterranean Countries recorded a reduction in the total contribution
of tourism and travel to GDP, except Turkey which recorded the most important growth in the
world, at 11% growth, according to the WTTC (reported by Lanquar, 2011). Arrivals reached a
record high of 39.81 million in 2014, with foreign exchange earnings of US$ 38.766 billion
(UNWTO, 2015). In that year, Turkey ranked as the 6th most popular tourist destination in the
world. The share of people employed in tourism (out of total employment) also improved
steadily, from 5.3% in 1990 to 7.7% in 2005 and 8.3% in 2015, with more than 2,193,000 jobs.
Over the 20 year period 1990-2010, the number of people employed in tourism grew by 219%
while international arrivals increased by 439%, indicating an increase in efficiency and
productivity over this period.
Since then, Turkey has experienced a decline in international arrivals. Its problems arose partly
from its location neighbouring the conflicts in Syria and Iraq. This has led to a series of terror
attacks and a failed coup in July 2016. In consequence, Turkey’s economically vital tourism
industry has been significantly depressed with arrivals falling from its peak of 39.8 million in
2014 to 25.4 million in 2016. According to the Hoteliers Association of Turkey (reported in The
Guardian, 2016), hotels experienced a decline of 50% in bookings in 2016 during July and
August – normally their busiest months, while according to the WTTC (2016), the contribution
of travel and tourism to Turkey’s GDP was 12.9% in 2015 but declined to 12.5% in 2016.
Researchwith European tour operators indicates considerable apprehension in themarketplace
about travel to Turkey on the basis of personal safety. This has led to the downturn in levels of