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9.1.7 Tourism sector news
A disused Airbus A330 passenger aircraft has been deliberately sunk off the northwestern coast of Turkey to attract diving tourists. The 65m (213ft) long aircraft now rests 30m deep in the Aegean Sea off Ibrice Harbour in Edirne province. Local officials hope the area will soon become a paradise for divers. Turkey’s tourism industry is an important foreign currency earner for the country, particularly at a time when the Turks are trying to stave off a double-dip recession. The industry has recovered from a stark contraction experienced after a falling out with Russia over the shooting down of a Russian military plane near the Syrian border at the end of 2015—the Kremlin retaliated by placing a ban on charter flights to Turkey—and a wave of terrorist attacks that caused anxious tourists to book elsewhere abroad. Russia and Turkey have mended their ties and there hasn’t been a fresh series of terrorist attacks in Turkey in the past two to three years. Turkey has set an ambitious target of receiving 50mn foreign tourists in 2019.
9.1.8 Metallurgy & mining sector news
9.1.9 Other sector news
Turkey's crude steel production rose by 2.6% y/y in April to reach 3mn tonnes, the Turkish Steel Producers' Association (TCUD) said on June 10. Also according to data from the association, the country managed to boost
79 TURKEY Country Report July 2019 www.intellinews.com