Turkey welcomes back tourists, hopes to recoup losses

Tourism workers got priority in vaccinations and the tourism ministry shared a promotional video of mask-wearing staff that said “Enjoy, I’m vaccinated.” The video was taken down after a public outcry on social media, with some people saying it presented Turks as subservient to foreign visitors.

With daily infections down to a 7-day average of 5,645, some countries reassessed their travel warnings this month. France and Germany have removed Turkey from the high-risk list and on Tuesday Russia resumed flights — with Turkish TV stations providing live coverage of the first Russians landing.

The industry is hoping that Britain, Turkey’s third-largest tourism market, will also remove the country from its red list.

Turkey’s civil aviation updated its requirements on June 21, saying a negative PCR test within 72 hours of arrival would be required for travelers who have not been fully vaccinated or cannot show proof of recovery from COVID-19.

Jens Brauer, another German tourist, said he feels safe in Turkey. “They are doing a lot (in terms of safety measures) in the hotel, notably keeping safe distances, wearing masks,” he said.

But Turkey’s push for foreign tourists could engender risks for the local population. Though hospitalizations and deaths have decreased and vaccinations have gained momentum, only 17% of the population has been fully vaccinated. Tourists from countries where a more contagious variant is spreading could affect Turkey. In Russia, daily infections have soared and vaccination numbers are low.