Ryanair pushes ahead with expansion with first flights to Turkey

Ryanair added Turkey to its list of destinations on Thursday, continuing an expansion from its traditional European markets by dipping a toe into a large market where the tourism sector is showing signs of recovery. The carrier, which this month began flying from Jordan for the first time, will operate two new routes weekly from Dublin and Bratislava to the southwestern Turkish resort of Dalaman from June. Turkey's tourism industry has suffered in recent years as travel companies and airlines switched their attention to Spain after militant attacks and a failed military coup affected demand for travel to Turkey. The resulting competition put pressure on prices and was one of the reasons behind the demise of airlines Air Berlin and Monarch last year. However Europe's largest travel group TUI said last month that bookings for Turkey had picked up, echoing rival Thomas Cook which also saw increased demand. Hoteliers have predicted that tourism in Turkey will make a major comeback this summer as Germans and Russians flock back to its beaches.<br/>