Turkish resort city ready for safe tourism season

Turkey’s Mediterranean resort city of Antalya is fully set up to ensure safe tourism and a virus-free environment, according to Ukraine’s envoy to Turkey.

“We see that visits from Ukraine started well. There are serious preparations for safe tourism in Antalya, we had the chance to see them ourselves by visiting like a tourist,” Ambassador Andrii Sybiha said during a meeting with Ersin Yazici, Antalya’s governor.

Sybiha said Antalya is a very beautiful city and is not only the capital of Turkish tourism but also agriculture.

Telling how flights from Ukraine to Antalya started on Wednesday, he called on more Ukrainians to visit the city, where many hotels apply hundreds of safety rules to ensure a virus-free environment for visitors.

“There are many Ukrainians living in your city and they have laid down roots. Ukrainians living here see it as their second home,” Sybiha said.

Yazici explained: “The hotels in our city comply with all the rules of the pandemic to the tiniest detail, and all necessary inspections continue without letup.

“We have taken all measures and precautions.”

- Antalya is 'ready'

Yazici urged everyone to visit the famed resort city, saying that Antalya is “ready.”

Nearly 1,000 Ukrainian tourists arrived Wednesday in Antalya, he said, adding that he hopes this is just a start.

He said all the hotels take necessary measures to protect their guests and earned Safe Tourism Certificates, a program pioneered by Turkey.

The Safe Tourism Certification, issued under the Turkish Culture and Tourism Ministry's leadership and run in partnership with the Foreign Ministry, covers a broad range of safety measures in transport, accommodation, and health conditions for tourists and hospitality employees alike.

* Contributions and writing by Sena Guler