The Turkish government is cracking down on opposition media outlets, drawing criticism from the country's tour operators and tourists, according to the newspaper.
"It is Erdogan's policy that prompts tourists to refuse to travel to Turkey, and this policy has already led to Turkey losing its reputation," Die Zeit pointed out.
Adding fuel to the fire is an ever-increasing number of terrorist attacks in Turkey, which has also made tourists uneasy about visiting the country, the newspaper said, citing semi-empty tourist buses currently shuttling in Istanbul.
Troubling signs for tourism industry.
— Abdullah Bozkurt (@abdbozkurt) 29 февраля 2016 г.
Decline per countries sending most tourists to #Turkey's Antalya pic.twitter.com/0EoMyDXLJJ
According to the German newspaper, the occupancy rate of Istanbul hotels has already decreased by 50 percent.
The outflow of tourists in January and February of 2016 can be compared to the reduction in the number of guests for the entire past year, the Die Zeit said. Last year the number of tourists in Turkey dropped significantly year-over-year, the newspaper said, pointing to a sharp drop in the number of tourists from European countries.
Eleven terrorist attacks have taken place in Turkey this year, with the latest act of terror occurring in central Ankara on March 13. At the time, a powerful car blast ripped through a bus stop in the country's capital, killing at least 34 people and injuring 125 more.
