Intel: Turkey’s tourism sector sets hopes on June kick start

By the end of March, two weeks after Turkey registered its first coronavirus case, almost all international bookings had been canceled. Domestic tourism came to a halt after internal flights were grounded, and 31 provinces around the country were put under lockdowns as part of the containment effort. 

What’s next: The Turkish government plans to focus first on reviving domestic tourism and then extend that effort toward encouraging international travelers to come visit. 

The Tourism Ministry has launched an initiative to attract tourists potentially wary of traveling due to the coronavirus outbreak.

“We have initiated a new project to certify coronavirus-free zones,” Culture and Tourism Minister Mehmet Nuri Ersoy told NTV on April 18. The zones will be designated along the coast. The initiative, Ersoy said, will also involve training and educating workers in the industry, such as hotel and transportation staff, about the coronavirus, proper social distancing, and so on.

The Turkish government has long been criticized for prioritizing the economy over public health. Defying widespread calls for a national lockdown, Erdogan earlier this month had emphasized that Turkey needs to “keep the wheels turning” on the economy.

Meanwhile, warnings by experts highlight the dire consequences of reopening the tourist trade before the coronavirus outbreak is completely contained. Most of Turkey’s tourist hotspots and coastal towns lack full-scale health care services, with only limited intensive care units.

Turkey currently has the highest number of coronavirus infections in the Middle East, with more than 95,000 cases, according to the Health Ministry. The death toll from the virus stood at 2,259 as of April 21. 

Know more: Read Mustafa Sonmez’s article on how the coronavirus outbreak has further crippled Turkey’s already struggling economy and Diego Cupolo‘s examination of why experts and scientists pressed for a nationwide lockdown in Turkey.