Tourists tempted by cheap Turkey breaks

Thomas Cook says that it is seeing the first evidence that customers are returning to Turkey and Egypt after a difficult 2016 and further price cuts.

The tour operator, which took about 3.5 million holidaymakers to Turkey in 2015, suffered a slump in bookings last year to 2.2 million — half from the UK — after terrorist attacks in Istanbul and Ankara and an attempted coup.

Peter Fankhauser, chief executive of Thomas Cook, said: “After a slow start to the season and a tough year in 2016, we’re seeing early signs that customers are beginning to go back to Turkey and Egypt.”

Michael Healy, chief financial officer, said that the company had cut prices to Turkey this summer by another 10 per cent.