The rioting in Istanbul has surprisingly not had any adverse affect on travel bookings, with no noticeable cancellations on either Turkish Airlines or Air Malta in spite of the fact that more than 200 demonstrations were held in 67 cities across the country since May 28.

Turkish Airlines started operating three flights a week to Istanbul just a few weeks ago, while Air Malta flies there twice a week.

International observers believe that the unrest would start to have a negative effect on investment and tourism if it were to continue beyond this week, forecasting that there would be only a short-term impact on business and obvious inconvenience for locals if they were to end as abruptly as they began.

The protests were sparked by the most innocuous of reasons: the removal of trees in Istanbul’s Taksim Square, where the government has plans to redevelop the Gezi Park area. However, it soon spread to encompass other agendas, including the Prime Minister’s planned curb on alcohol and a recent row about kissing in public. But the extens-ive news coverage and social media alarm over efforts to clamp down on the riots do not seem to have had any impact – yet.

If the unrest were to continue, it could have a prolonged impact on tourism, if the effect of the Arab Spring is anything to go by. It took years for countries like Tunisia and Egypt to see tourism levels recover to anywhere near pre-revolution levels. If the situation in Turkey were to escalate, more countries might issue travel advisories. On Saturday the UK issued an advisory against “all but essential travel”, with Canada and New Zealand issuing similar warnings, while the US is warning citizens travelling or residing there to be alert to the potential for violence.

Turkey is the sixth most popular tourist destination in the world, with more than 31.5 million visitors in 2011.