Tourist trade turns for Turkey’s leather sector
Informal analysis of the value of tourist shopping to Turkey’s leather sector suggests greater optimism.
Individual visitors were traditionally bought high volumes of leathergoods, leather garments and footwear while visiting Turkey. Estimates suggest these purchases reached a value of around €3.2 billion per year immediately before the covid-19 pandemic.
The value of this part of the market today is closer to €1.7 billion per year.
One reason for this decline is that shopping for leather products in Turkey was particularly popular among visitors from Russia. The war between Russia and Ukraine has affected this market greatly.
However, anecdotal evidence from traders in Istanbul’s Laleli shopping district has suggested that the situation is improving. This is because visitors from Romania, Bulgaria, Croatia and Serbia are helping to take the place, to some extent, of buyers from Russia.
