Turkey strives to revive virus-hit tourist sector
ANTALYA - In normal times, tourists must rise at dawn to secure a free sunbed on the beach in Antalya, a popular holiday resort in southern Turkey.As elsewhere, the coronavirus pandemic has hammered the tourism industry -- a vital Turkish economic sector that welcomed a record 50 million foreign visitors last year.
"We have taken strict measures to protect our employees and tourists," Tourism Minister Mehmet Nuri Ersoy told AFP in an interview.The minister last week unveiled the "safe tourism" certificate, awarded on the basis of 132 criteria to hotels and restaurants able to accomodate customers in proper sanitary conditions.
The government has also introduced a health insurance scheme -- 23 euros worth -- covering hospital expenses for COVID-19 patients. Travellers can sign up on arrival. "In 2019, we received 35 million passengers, including 15 million from abroad. Since the beginning of the year, the total number is less than a million," said Deniz Varol, director general of Antalya airport.
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