Turkish Travel Agencies Association (TÜRSAB) Chairperson Firuz Bağlıkaya said that Britain was an exception in coronavirus-reduced tourism demand from Europe for Turkey last year and if the pandemic maintains its current course, the U.K. is expected to send a large number of tourists this year as well.
Bağlıkaya told Anadolu Agency (AA) that the travel restrictions in the U.K., one of the main markets for the Turkish tourism industry, are expected to be lifted as of March 8 in four stages.
He reiterated that according to the plan revealed by U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson, the restrictions are expected to be completely eased by June 21. Restrictions on international travel will remain until May 17, Bağlıkaya said, while it was announced that the evaluations regarding safe travel will be announced by April 12 to reduce uncertainty for those who want to plan a summer vacation and to provide time for planning and reservations.
The industry representative emphasized that the statements from the U.K. provided momentum in both the countries’ tourism industries.
“We are closely following the developments in Britain thanks to the information provided by the tour operators. Tour operators in the U.K. market said they expect a boom in demand for vacation bookings for summer. Turkey is among the top destinations for U.K. travelers,” he said, noting that the resort towns in the southwestern Muğla and southern Antalya provinces along the Mediterranean coast are leading destinations for British tourists, namely Marmaris, Kaş, Kalkan, Fethiye, Ölüdeniz, Göcek and Sarıgerme.
With the pandemic, the demand for camping, caravan or yacht tourism has also increased, he added.
