Known as the capital of tourism in the Mediterranean region as it welcomes millions of tourists every year, Antalya continues to be one of the most popular holiday destinations among tourists thanks to “Safe Tourism Certificate” program launched by Turkey in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The “Safe Tourism Certificate” program, which was implemented by Turkey for the 2020 tourism season, has been rapidly adopted by the accommodation, food & beverage, and transportation companies in the industry. The program defines a series of measures that must be taken across a vast range of key players in the industry including transportation and accommodation establishments to ensure the health and well-being of facility personnel and guests, both local and foreign. The certificate, which has been recently made mandatory for all hotels with a capacity of 50 beds and more, ensures that all measures required by the internationally recognized health, hygiene and safety standards are taken to make sure tourists can spend their vacation safely.
As one of the earliest adopters of a “Safe Tourism Certificate” program in the world, Turkey’s precautions have paid off and as a result an average of 180 planes has been landing in Antalya every day. Tourists arriving from several countries particularly the Russian Federation, Ukraine, Germany, and the United Kingdom, are able to spend their vacations safely at the certified facilities in and around Antalya.
A travel insurance package exclusively designed for tourists arriving at Turkey, that offers COVID-19 medical treatment coverage provides yet another assurance for tourists visiting the country. The travel insurance policy may be purchased from contracted airlines, various sales points located inside the airport before passport control, tour operators and online channels, and covers all healthcare costs up to EUR3,000, EUR5,000, and EUR7,000 for insurance packages available at EUR15, EUR19, and EUR21 respectively.
In addition to this travel insurance, tourists can get tested at the healthcare center available in the facility they are staying. In the event that a guest tests positive, the certification program allows for guests who were tested positive and those accompanying them to be isolated in specially designed isolation rooms on a special isolation floor/ block allocated by the accommodation facility throughout their reservation period.
Also, with the COVID-19 Extra Hotel Accommodation Cost Coverage program, tourists that buy the insurance can benefit from an additional daily coverage limit for any extra accommodation in case they are held under observation by the hospital at their hotel in connection with the disease. Under the additional coverage, three separate packages are offered with premiums of EUR10, EUR14, and EUR22, respectively.
Furthermore, in addition to the public health laboratories authorized to conduct PCR tests, PCR testing centers located in major airports in cities including Antalya, İzmir, Dalaman and Bodrum as well as the İstanbul Airport and İstanbul Sabiha Gökçen Airport are also available for guests departing from or arriving at Turkey for PCR testing. Results of the PCR test, which helps identify the virus present in the body, may be obtained within 1 to 3 hours. This allows for early diagnosis and treatment as the results are reported within 24 hours depending on the time when the test is conducted, and samples were collected.
Located in the Mediterranean and connecting Asia and Europe continents that are separated by famous Bosphorus, Turkey is a unique destination that welcomed last year about 51.7 million tourists. The country that has always been a hub for cultural interaction and home to varying climates inspires the visitors today with its history, nature and gastronomy that reflect the diversity of civilizations for centuries. Located at the crossroads of cultures, Turkey has a distinctive understanding of art & fashion which is the synthesis of tradition and modernity and its extremely dynamic shopping & entertainment life also attracts the visitors from all over the world.