Turkey’s rising regional status in the Arab world swept by popular uprisings against dictatorships is translating into a booming tourism sector at a time of chill in ties with one time ally Israel. The number of Arab tourists visiting Turkey has dramatically increased over recent years, making the country a favourite destination in the Arab world, while Israeli tourist numbers have plunged sharply, official data showed.

Only 61,950 Israeli citizens visited Turkey in the period from January to August this year, amounting to a 27 per cent decrease compared to the same period in 2010, according to statistics from the Turkish tourism ministry.

On the contrary, Turkey’s tourism sector is blooming with the Arab world where popular uprisings have jolted authoritarian regimes in Tunisia, Egypt and Libya.

Some 1.4 million Arab tourists visited Turkey in the period from January to August this year, up from 1.2 million in the same period in 2010 and from nearly 912,000 in 2009.

“We expect to reach 1.7 million Arab tourists in 2011,” said Mehmet Habbab, head of the Turkish-Lebanese Business Council.

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