During a press conference at the World Travel Market, or WTM, fair held in London on Monday, İsmet Yılmaz commented on the economic stagnation’s impacts on tourism.

Noting the crisis resulted in significant changes in consumer preferences, Yılmaz said people have started to prefer shorter distances, short-term holidays and cheaper destinations. “The global crisis’ impact on tourist behavior is undoubtedly affecting Turkish tourism. However, our country is more advantaged compared to other countries in terms of its price-quality balance, service mentality and product diversity.”

During the first seven months of the year, tourism contracted 7.4 percent worldwide and 8.8 percent in Europe, according to a report by the World Tourism Organization. “Despite this, visits from Britain to Turkey exceeded the 2 million-threshold in the first nine months with a 12 percent increase,” Yılmaz said.

Expressing an expectation to see the decline in the impacts of the global turmoil in 2010, Yılmaz said the worst of the crisis was over. “We are preparing destination-focused promotion campaigns that prioritize Turkey’s distinctions, advantages, service quality and hospitality.”

Turkey, which uses 1 percent of its tourism potential, is among the top 10 countries in terms of tourism arrivals, he added. “Despite the crisis and swine flu pandemic, Turkey’s tourist arrivals climbed in the first nine months over a year earlier while the tourism figures in the top 10 tourism countries fell,” he told journalists. Yılmaz expressed a goal to diversify tourism and spread it to 12 months.

Turkey’s booth at the four-day WTM, which started Monday, covers around 730 square meters. Some 41 sector representatives, hotel managers and local administrators from the Aegean, Cappadocia, Antalya and Istanbul have attended the fair, which is among the sector’s top three fairs.