By Khalid Tashkandi

Okaz/Saudi Gazette

Jeddah — With the disappearance of Saudi citizen Jamal Khashoggi in Istanbul and in the wake of false media reports against the Kingdom by the agents of Qatari regime and the Muslim Brotherhood, many Saudi tourists are now giving a second thought to visiting Turkey.

In 2017 alone, Turkey witnessed an increasing number of horrific crimes, beginning with the bloody New Year massacre at an Istanbul restaurant, which killed 39 people and wounded 69 others.

Crimes involving firearms increased by 28% in 2017 compared to 2016.

The US Department of State (DOS) placed the whole of Turkey at “Level 3”, the second-most severe of its four travel warnings, indicating that visitors should “reconsider travel” to the country, citing the risk of terrorism and arbitrary detentions.

Turkey’s tourism sector was gravely hit in the wake of a series of terrorist attacks and domestic political turmoil, according to an IMF study.