Great Britain was an exception last year when the coronavirus reduced tourism demand from Europe for Turkey. If the pandemic stays on its current course, the UK is expected to send large numbers of tourists this year again, Turkish Travel Agencies Association (TÜRSAB) chairman Firuz Bağlıkaya said Monday.

Bağlıkaya told Anadolu Agency (AA) that travel restrictions in the UK, one of the main markets for the Turkish tourism industry, are expected to be lifted in four steps from March 8th.

He reiterated that according to UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s plan, restrictions are expected to be fully relaxed by June 21st. The restrictions on international travel will remain in place until May 17, Bağlıkaya said, while it was announced that the safe travel ratings will be announced by April 12 to reduce uncertainty for those planning a summer vacation and want to provide time for planning and reservations.

The industry representative emphasized that the statements from Great Britain got the tourism industry in both countries going.

“Thanks to the information from the tour operators, we are closely following developments in the UK. Tour operators in the UK market are anticipating a boom in summer holiday booking demand. Turkey is one of the top destinations for travelers from Great Britain, ”he said, noting that the resorts in the southwest of Muğla and southern Antalya Provinces along the The Mediterranean coast is the leading destination for British touristsnamely Marmaris, Kas, Kalkan, Fethiye, Oludeniz, Gocek and Sarigerme.

With the pandemic, the demand for camping, caravan or yacht tourism has also increased, he added.

Bağlıkaya went on to say that while reservations from the UK were mostly made for July, August and September, the most popular months to travel, they assume the season will extend through November of this year.

Bağlıkaya pointed out that the most important factor that would save the tourism industry is the vaccination process. So far around 221 million people have been vaccinated worldwide.

In Great Britain there are 18.9 million, in Germany 5.5 million and in Russia 4 million. The latter two are also among the main markets of the Turkish tourism industry.

The number of vaccinated citizens in TurkeyBağlıkaya pointed out that 8.1 million had been reached by February 25 and that around 100 million doses of vaccines should have arrived in Turkey by the end of May and that most of the population is expected to be before. February is vaccinated The tourism season begins.

This will make Turkey one of the countries with the lowest risk of infection and increase its risk Tourism industry, he said.

Bağlıkaya said the vaccination process is currently being carried out in European countries and Russia, which means the number of tourists coming to Turkey is expected to increase by up to 70% compared to 2020. “We expect that the number of foreign visitors will rise to reach 20 million,” he said.

When adding Turkish citizens residing abroad, that number will reach 25 million and bring in around $ 20 billion in revenue, he said.

From this it appears that it is of great importance to that Support for short-term work allowanceBağlıkaya, which is expected to end in March for the tourism sector, said: “When the pandemic is over, everything can go back to normal in other sectors, but the situation in the tourism sector is a little different as it takes time for the tourism industry.” Recovery of the sector. “

“The crisis we are experiencing is profound and a serious loss for the market,” he said.

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