Turkey hopes discounts, fuel subsidies can reverse 30 percent tourism plunge

FILE PHOTO: Tourists enter the Byzantine-era monument of Hagia Sophia as they pass by an armoured police vehicle in the Old City of Istanbul, Turkey, July 13, 2016. REUTERS/Murad Sezer/File Photo

BERLIN (Reuters) - Turkey expressed hopes on Friday for a revival of its tourism industry after security concerns caused a 30 percent drop in foreign visitors and revenues last year.

"We are seeing some very positive signals. That gives us hope," Turkish Culture and Tourism Minister Nabi Avci said at ITB Berlin, the world's biggest tourism fair, on Thursday.