TURKEY'S tourism industry has been growing and will continue to do so despite negative effects of the global financial crisis.Turkey has seen a significant growth of tourists in 2008, attracting 14 percent more visitors than in the last year, Kerim Cavusoglu, president of the Turkish Association of Travel Agents ( TURSAB), said, adding the tourism sector was in good shape.He said Turkey "had the potential to turn the adverse effects of the crisis to its own benefit," saying the country is advantageous in many areas compared to its rivals, most importantly that foreign tourists can find services with cheaper prices here.Cavusoglu is confident this year's winter period will also bring more opportunities to the Turkish tourism industry than the previous years, and the next year is also "hopeful," he added.Antalya Culture and Tourism General Manager Ibrahim Acar said Turkey had become a key player in the global tourism market, citing the growth of tourists number in Greece and Spain, two main tourism rivals of Turkey, of only 2 percent compared with the 14 percent of Turkey."For the resort city of Antalya, the number was 18 percent," Acar said, adding that the Mediterranean coastal city, with its high-quality tourism facilities, has become a center of attraction for foreign tourists.The report said Antalya received 8.85 million tourists in the January to November period this year, with the largest slice coming from Germany, reaching 2.25 million.