Turkey to reopen tourism facilities: Minister

As of July, Turkey will resume all those tourism facilities planned to be reopened as part of normalization process, said the country’s culture and tourism minister on Wednesday.

Speaking to CNN Turk, Mehmet Nuri Ersoy commented on the revival of tourism in the country.

"In tourism, there is no other country that has done certification better and more reliable than Turkey," the minister said.

The country's main priority in this process is to resume air traffic to all countries, he added.

Turkey on Wednesday reported 2,241 more recoveries, 17 deaths and 922 more cases of the coronavirus.

To a question about the reopening of Hagia Sophia for worship, Ersoy said: "If the court decision comes through [to open Hagia Sophia for worship], I will not be worried about tourism, we will find a solution."

Hagia Sophia, called by historians the Eighth Wonder of the World, is one of the most-visited museums in the world and a gem of architectural history.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has stated his intent to restore Hagia Sophia’s mosque status, and recently allowed a special Quran reading there.