Turkey may again close borders for tourists

With the coronavirus tally on the rise, Turkey does not rule out that it may close borders for tourists and impose new restrictions, Report informs, citing Haber Turk.

At the August online session of the Council of the Trade and Industrial Chamber of Antalya (ATSO), President Davud Chetin said Turkey managed to keep the tourist flow high despite the pandemic and massive forest fires.

He said in August alone, the country saw nearly 2.5 million visitors, equal to the figures of 2019. However, since the beginning of the year, the number of foreign travelers in Turkey was twice as low as in the same period of 2019 - 5.5 million against 10.5 million in 2019.

"Vaccination is needed. I ask the services sector and public places to control the observation of rules. If we do not want another lockdown, we should take more serious measures," Chetin said.

According to him, from April through June 2021, the country saw more than 4 million tourists, marking a 56% increase over Q1, 2021.

Foreign travelers were responsible for 75% of Turkey's total revenue in tourism, while Turkish nationals living abroad accounted for the remaining share.