Istanbul
Turkey plans to attract devout Muslim tourists by creating alcohol-free zones in major cities. The government, currently led by an Islamic party, first proposed the zones as a moral reform last year, but ran into opposition from the business community. Now the plan is back as a tourism initiative. Ali Bayramoglu, head of the Turkish-Saudi Economic Cooperation Council, told the Istanbul newspaper Vatan that the alcohol-free zones would pay for themselves in increased Saudi investment and tourism. Recent experience, though, indicates otherwise. Some Turkish regions with local governments controlled by Islamists have limited the sale of alcohol and seen local revenues drop precipitously.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
Kurdish PKK militia to disband for Turkey talksspeed read The Kurdistan Workers' Party will disarm after four decades of armed conflict with Turkey, putting an end to 'one of the longest insurgencies in the Middle East'
-
US, China agree to lower tariffs for 90 daysspeed read US tariffs will fall to 30% from 145%, while China will cut its tax on US imports to 10% from 125%
-
Qatar luxury jet gift clouds Trump trip to Mideastspeed read Qatar is said to be presenting Trump with a $400 million plane, which would be among the biggest foreign gifts ever received by the US government
