Turkey is set to take a slice of summer tourists from rival Greece following a recent spate of negative publicity after strikes and rioting hit the troubled country.

Flight site Skyscanner (www.Skyscanner.net) can report that flight searches to Turkey are 159% higher than flight searches to Greece for travel dates this summer.

Following serious economic problems, strikes and rioting over the last few months, Greece’s tourist industry looks to take a hit and rival Turkey is well placed to take Greece’s share of the market.

“Greece has had a lot of bad press recently and unfortunately it’s coming at a time when many people are booking their summer holidays. News of street clashes and strikes are going to hurt Greece’s tourist industry and Greece’s loss is Turkey’s gain.” said Barry Smith, Skyscanner Co-founder and Market Development Director.

Being similar distances from the UK, having similar climates and attracting similar clientele, Turkey and Greece have long been natural rivals in the tourist trade. And for the British holidaymaker who just wants sun and sand, the move from Greece to Turkey is an easy one to make. Turkey has also seen further positive PR this year as Istanbul is a European City of Culture 2010.

Skyscanner’s February 2010 Flight Trends Report revealed that whilst searches for flights to Athens had seen a rise in the rankings, Turkey had three destinations within the top 50 most popular, whilst Greece only had one.