A Turkish official revealed that since the beginning of last June, his country has witnessed a recovery in the tourism sector, thanks to the “Safe Tourism Certificate” program.
The Turkish Deputy Minister of Culture and Tourism, Nader Alp Aslan, expected the continuation of the tourism recovery in the country until the end of this year.
With the resumption of flights, tourism has been active in Turkey, whose opening season was delayed this year due to the spread of the Corona virus.
The season was launched initially for the local market, and then for the foreign market, on June 1, after the government took steps to return to normal life.
In a statement to Anadolu Agency on Monday, Aslan said that Turkey is one of the countries with rapid development in the tourism sector.
He stated that Turkey ranks sixth in the world in terms of the number of tourists, with more than 50 million tourists visiting annually.
He explained that since the beginning of June, his country has witnessed a revival in tourism, thanks to the “Safe Tourism Certificate” program.
He added, “We expect the recovery to continue, according to indicators, until the end of November or the end of this year.”
Earlier, Birol Akman, a member of the Board of Directors of the Turkish Agency for the Promotion and Development of Tourism, expected that Turkey’s revenues from the tourism sector would reach 15 billion dollars, by the end of 2020.
He added that Turkey has gained the confidence of foreign tourists thanks to the measures taken regarding safe tourism following the outbreak of the Corona virus around the world.
He pointed out that tourists began arriving in Turkey again from all over the world, after a break due to the Corona pandemic.
He stated that without the measures taken, European tourists would not have come, pointing out that the state of Antalya (south) has about 50,000 tourists per day at the present time.
He explained that 90 percent of Antalya hotels reopened their doors with the return of tourists.
He pointed out that although Turkey cannot achieve its goal of attracting 60 million tourists due to the Corona pandemic, it can achieve revenues that may reach 15 billion dollars this year, if the flow of tourists continues at the same pace and there is no second wave of Corona.
Turkey has turned into a “milestone” in the “safe tourism” sector, during the global outbreak of the Corona virus, thanks to the measures taken and promotional campaigns implemented by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism.
During the outbreak of the virus, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, in cooperation with the Ministry of Health, worked to provide the necessary measures to provide “safe tourism”, at the level of airports, reception, accommodation and all facilities included in the visits program.
The Ministry of Culture and Tourism also launched the “Safe Tourism Certification” program in the country, which includes a set of widely proposed measures, to be applied to all citizens and foreign visitors, who spend their holidays in Turkey.
Under the “Safe Tourism Certificate” program, the Turkish Ministry of Health, in cooperation with the Ministries of Foreign Affairs, Interior and Tourism and specialized international institutions, issues certificates confirming the commitment of hotels, restaurants and resorts to safety standards from the spread of Corona.
The program relies on four main pillars, namely, the health and safety of the traveler, the health and safety of the worker, and the measures taken in the facilities and in the means of transport, through which hygiene and health safety standards are documented in aircraft, airports, hotels and restaurants.
The Ministry of Culture and Tourism also received groups of representatives of the tourism sector in a number of countries, led by Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Ukraine and Indonesia, and organized special tours for them, to highlight the measures taken by the ministry to provide safe tourism for visitors.