Tourism in Turkey after the Coronavirus Pandemic

The sector of tourism in Turkey and the world suffered serious setbacks due to the Covid-19 epidemic in the summer of 2020. Now the signs of hope have returned on the faces of the owners of companies and hotels in Turkey wishing to be able to compensate for those losses during the summer of 2021, as Turkey is one of the countries most preferred by European tourists to spend summer holidays outside Europe. However, the heavy demand from Russian tourists to Turkey was promising, especially on Antalya and its surroundings, after the Moscow government lifted the flight ban that it had been applying to Turkey for months.

Strength factors of the sector of tourism in Turkey in light of the Covid-19 crisis:

Turkey is the country that hosts the largest number of foreign tourists in Europe after France, Italy, and Spain. Tourism Minister Mehmet Ersoy told Reuters that with the number of Covid-19 cases going under five thousand, 30 million tourists may come to Turkey this year, however, tourism experts expect that 6 million tourists will visit Turkey this year.

In 2019, more than 52 million foreign tourists visited Turkey and the country generated nearly $35 billion in tourism revenue. But, tourism revenues in Turkey decreased by 69% in 2020. Now as for the first half of 2021, the rates of tourists from countries such as Russia, Belarus, and Uzbekistan witnessed a clear increase of 298.9% compared to the same period last year, in addition to a noticeable increase in the percentage of Arab tourists coming from some Arab countries such as Iraq, Lebanon, Libya, and Sudan.

Acknowledging the great importance of the tourism sector in Turkey, priority has been given to vaccinating individuals serving foreign tourists this season.

Vaccinating of 44 million citizens in Turkey:

Wearing face masks in open and closed public places is currently mandatory in Turkey. The total daily Covid-19 cases at the end of April 2021 were more than 60,000. After 17 days of complete lockdown and subsequent restrictions, that number is now below 5,000. And so far, 44 million people in Turkey have been vaccinated. This number corresponds to roughly 50% of the country's population of 85 million. The speed of providing the vaccine to the largest number of citizens, in addition to the openness of life in the country and its return to normal after the cancellation of all forms of the ban starting from the beginning of this month, all contribute to encouraging tourism activities and providing the appropriate and safe atmosphere for an enjoyable vacation.

Turkey is preparing to receive foreign tourists by taking the necessary measures and easing travel restrictions:

Earlier, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan indicated that travel restrictions imposed on Turkey within the scope of Covid-19 measures will be lifted in the second half of the tourism season. And indeed, the United States has removed its warning to travel to 110 countries and regions, including Turkey.

France has also removed Turkey from the list of "red countries" to which travel restrictions were imposed. The Turkish Ambassador in Paris, Ali Onaner, shared the following statements on the subject:

 “As a result of the detailed information we have provided, we have just announced that we have switched from red to orange in the list of travel restrictions in France. I wish all travelers a healthy and enjoyable holiday.”

How do tourists prepare themselves to visit Turkey after the easing of restrictions imposed due to Corona?

• The Ministry of Health has announced that the “Entry Form for Turkey” which also includes the HES code from March 15, 2021 must be filled out electronically by those wishing to enter Turkey under the Covid-19 pandemic.

Passengers with a flight to Turkey as of this date must fill in the Turkey Entry Form at “http://register.health.gov.tr” within 72 hours prior to their flight. This is mandatory for all Turkish and foreign travelers wishing to enter Turkey. Those who fill out the form will be able to use the special HEPP code generated for them during their travel and stay in Turkey. And thanks to the HES code that is automatically generated with the information filled in, the traveler will be accessible if the people, he contacted with while traveling, are found to have Covid-19. Therefore, the importance of accuracy and freshness of the information provided was emphasized.

• According to the laws issued in Turkey, a negative PCR test is required for tourists from abroad during the three days prior to their arrival (72 hours) after June 21. However, in the case that the passengers have received two doses of the Covid-19 vaccine or have recovered from Covid-19 within the previous six-month period, it is sufficient to show the documents proving this to the officials without the need to take the test.
• The document "vaccine certificate" prepared by the European Union to facilitate travel in light of the Corona epidemic, entered into force on July 1, 2021. The European Council had earlier announced that the Member States had approved the "EU COVID Digital Certificate" regulation.

What countries has Turkey signed a vaccine certification agreement with?

With the addition of Austria, there are 6 countries so far with which Turkey has made an agreement for mutual recognition of Covid-19 vaccines and travel restrictions abolition.

Sources: Wikipedia + Mahfiegilmez