TORONTO — Turkey is Intrepid Travel’s fastest-growing destination to date in 2018, with 214% growth in global bookings this year compared to 2017.

Intrepid says it’s making the most of Turkey’s travel boom with the launch of three new trips, “promoting travel as a beneficial wealth generator to aid the wounded Turkish economy”. The country is in the midst of a currency crisis.

Tourism’s direct GDP contribution in Turkey is predicted to more than double by 8.4% in 2018, ranking Turkey in the top 15 countries dependent on travel and tourism’s absolute contribution to GDP, according to stats from the World Travel and Tourism Council.

“Instead of shying away from the country based on current economic relations, Intrepid Travel is increasing operations in Turkey to encourage travellers to visit the beautiful country, year-round,” says Megan Bailey, Director of Sales and Customer Experience for Intrepid Travel in North America.

“A record number of travellers are immersing in Turkey’s culture to foster a better understanding of the destination apart from the media headlines. These new trips are a celebration of our travelers’ genuine acceptance of the world we all share, and are, more importantly, helping a country find hope through tourism.”

Departing in 2019, Intrepid Travel’s new trips to Turkey include the 10-day Turkey Winter Discovery, the eight-day Turkey Highlights and the three-day Taste of Istanbul.

Intrepid Travel began operations in Turkey 15 years ago and now offers close to 20 different itineraries to the country, with the addition of these new trips.

After doubling its itineraries in 2018, Intrepid now directly employs nearly 30 locals, and indirectly employs hundreds. At present, one-fifth of employment in Turkey is directly or indirectly from the travel and tourism industry, says Intrepid.