Turkish tourism industry seeks cushions against impact of outbreak

The Turkish tourism industry is seeking urgent recovery remedies as the sector has been suffering from the outbreak of COVID-19.

“Since the start of the crisis, we are trying to draw a road map to get out of this difficult period in cooperation with the tourism sector institutions and state authorities,” Firuz Baglikaya, head of the Association of Turkish Travel Agencies, said at a live broadcast on social media on Tuesday.

Describing the loss of travel agencies as almost irrecoverable, Baglikaya said they had called for more support and incentives from the government.

“We asked government officials to exempt travel agencies from their annual wages and allow their employees to work from home during the period,” he noted.

Earlier in the day, Baglikaya and several other tourism representatives met with Ekrem Imamoglu, mayor of Istanbul, over possible measures to be taken in the largest Turkish city.

“We are aware that tourism has been badly hit by the outbreak,” Imamoglu told reporters after the meeting, noting the latest information about the tourism figures was “considerably striking and upsetting.”

The Turkish government has been taking strong precautions to contain the outbreak, as the total number of confirmed coronavirus cases reached 47 in the country on Monday.

The government has decided to close bars and nightclubs, cinemas, restaurants and coffee shops as part of the efforts to combat the virus, dealing a heavy blow to tourist attractions in Istanbul.