ANKARA - Turkey's new tourism minister apologized to Russia Thursday after he came under fire for calling Russian tourists "boorish."
Atilla Koc, appointed tourism and culture minister in February, made the headlines when he said the Russians were a favored clientele for the Turkish tourism sector, but added an unfortunate comparison.
"The Germans don't spend much, but the Russians do -- maybe it's the boorishness of the nouveaux riche. Well, the Russians shouldn't hear this because there'll be a lot of them coming this year," Koc said Wednesday.
He was speaking in the southern city of Mugla, apparently unaware that his remarks were caught on camera.
The minister said Thursday he was "deeply sorry" for the comments, which he blamed on his "humorous nature," the Anatolia news agency reported.
"I deem it a virtue to apologize if my humorous nature makes me say such things from time to time. I do apologize," Koc said.
He said he had also sent a letter of aplogy to the Russian embassy in Ankara.
Turkey has recently become a popular holiday destination for Russians, who last year formed the second-largest group to visit the country after the Germans.
Turkey's booming tourism sector is a vital source of foreign revenue and last year earned the country a record 15.9 billion dollars (12.3 billion euros).
04/07/2005 13:41 GMT