In an article that could deliver a further blow to Turkey’s ailing tourism sector and international image, Forbes magazine on July 28 described Turkey as one of the 10 most dangerous places for solo female travelers.

The article, which ranked Turkey ninth, was based on the travel website Trip.com’s country evaluations in March, adding in information from US State Department warnings. The Trip.com website, while generally rating Turkey poorly, also features remarkably positive reviews of the country and of Istanbul — reportedly now Europe's cheapest city to stay in — by several female and male travelers.  

The Forbes' piece hit a nerve with Turkey’s Justice and Development Party (AKP) government. Pro-AKP media outlets pronounced the article to be presumptuous and untrustworthy. The daily Hurriyet said the story had provoked a wide reaction in Turkey, without clarifying the exact nature of this response or explaining what critics found objectionable in the ranking.  

The hospitality industry has taken a series of serious hits in the last two years, including terror attacks and the failed coup attempt of July 2016. According to Tourism and Culture Ministry statistics, Turkey received nearly 36 million foreign visitors in 2014, with the number going down about 200,000 the following year. In 2016, the number of foreign visitors sank to nearly 25.3 million. The numbers appear to be dropping even more this year; in the first half of 2016, slightly over 11 million visitors were reported to have visited Turkey.