Minister of Culture and Tourism Mehmet Nuri Ersoy made statements on the agenda and answered questions at the Anadolu Agency (AA) Editorial Desk.
Giving information about the diplomatic traffic they carried out with Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu following the normalization process in the coronavirus, Ersoy said that they continue to work within the scope of the action plan they have prepared.
Reminding that they have established certain criteria for hotels to be put back into service, Minister Ersoy stated that they have prepared a file including the details of the health infrastructure in tourism regions and sent it to their counterparts, especially to the 100 countries that send the most guests to Turkey.
Stating that they hosted the ambassadors of these countries in certain groups at the Ministry, Ersoy said, “I informed them about the details of the letter. At the same time, we started telephone diplomacy with the ministers of the countries that send us the most tourists. I also asked our Minister of Foreign Affairs Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu for his support. Since the foreign ministers decide to open the traffic there, they also started negotiations with their counterparts.”
Explaining that they launched an intensive diplomacy, Ersoy said that they held the last stage of this diplomacy in Antalya this weekend, and that they launched the certification program as of June 1.
Pointing out that the certification of the hotels has started in a phased manner, Ersoy reminded that at this stage, they invited the ambassadors of the 60 countries with the highest number of passengers to Turkey and the press members of these countries in Turkey to Antalya.
Stating that the guests also had the opportunity to observe the airports, Minister Ersoy said, “Since Saturday, they have been broadcasting intensively in their own countries. They traveled around, asked questions, saw the hotels that were open, took videos, had the chance to chat with the guests there, and had the chance to visit and see some points in the city. Finally, they went back to their countries and cities by showing the cultural part of an organization we made in Aspendos.”
“The secret guest is coming”
Mehmet Nuri Ersoy said that the certification system for ambassadors was far above expectations and that some ambassadors even said that such a certification program was necessary for their countries.
Explaining the details of the certification program, Minister Ersoy continued as follows:
“The certification program includes periodic inspections. We have another inspection program we call ‘secret guest’, like an unannounced guest. The auditor comes, makes a reservation at the hotel, and does all your audits. For show, ‘let me do my preparations, after the auditor leaves, I’ll go back to the same old, same old, you don’t have such a chance. The secret guest comes, does your audit, keeps your report and leaves. There is also the issue of transparency. How do we ensure transparency? These certification logos are hung in visible places of the facilities. Above the logo is the company that has done the certification, especially these are international companies. They must be organized in at least 5 countries. There is also a QR code on the logos, and when you read it, it gives you a link to the facility’s audit reports.”
“Ambassadors reported on the system”
Pointing out that certified facilities are the most disciplined and reliable facilities in terms of pandemic and hygiene, Ersoy said, “As the Ministry, we tell tour operators, ‘if possible, only sell certified facilities’. Certified systems apply these criteria in the most disciplined way, at the highest level, and since they are under constant supervision, they are companies that are included in the program and see all the details.”
Pointing out that a few extra criteria are required for guests coming from Germany, Ersoy continued his words as follows:
“In Turkey, the number of cases is announced regularly every day. A German press member asked if the numbers could be trusted. I said, ‘Visit any hospital you want, our hospitals are empty.’ They even visited a few of them and said, ‘You are right. When I asked them how they felt, they said they felt safe. Since Saturday, all the European press have been talking intensively about the system they have seen here. I even talked to the ambassadors, they have reported back to their countries about the system…”
The coronavirus process has turned into an “ecovirus” process
Underlining that the coronavirus process has turned into an “ecovirus” process for some countries, Ersoy said, “These countries prefer to keep the money within their own systems to be spent within the borders of this country. Therefore, during this economic crisis, they are trying to take measures to prevent the money from going out.”
Reminding that the German courts overturned the mandatory 14-day quarantine process, Minister Ersoy continued as follows:
“This decision was overturned on the grounds that ‘this cannot happen, it violates the principle of equality’. This time they said, ‘Let him take the test and come back, let him take the test within 48 hours and come back. If the test is negative, I will accept it. Until July 1, we are opening test centers at all our airports. We had a meeting with our Minister of Health yesterday, and we are opening these test centers at all tourist airports until July 1. We will open a few of the busiest ones until July 15 at the latest. We are opening the busy ones such as Istanbul, Antalya, Izmir, Dalaman until July 1 and the others until July 15. When a passenger goes to his/her country, if he/she wants, he/she can have a test here, and we have made a very reasonable fee of 15 euros for the result of the test. The result comes out in 2 hours. We are also sending letters to health centers, saying that tourists can have this test done whenever they want.
Upon arrival in our country, the body temperature of all tourists entering the country is measured and if it is 37.8 degrees and above or if they show any symptoms, they will be tested at the test center. Otherwise, there is no need for a test, this test is free of charge.”
Stating that they have developed an insurance system with a limit between 2 thousand and 7 thousand euros and a cost between 13 and 33 euros for the health services of foreign tourists and citizens residing abroad who will vacation in Turkey, Ersoy said that the limit of 7 thousand euros for a one-week stay can be purchased for 23 euros.
Stating that this service can be accessed over the internet on the website of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, Ersoy said, “Now we are making a link to all tour operators and airlines, this site has also started sales. The insurance company covers the treatment costs up to 7 thousand euros for all health problems, not only for cases with the new type of coronavirus (Covid-19), but also for all health problems, regardless of which hospital they are in.”
Ersoy emphasized that the insurance limit was determined taking into account the high treatment costs, and noted that foreigners who do not want to take risks can benefit from this system.
Stating that isolation floors are prepared for the possibility of Covid-19 cases in hotels, Ersoy said, “When a case occurs in the hotel, it is taken to the isolated section. All services and services are provided to his room and he can stay there throughout the treatment.”
Ersoy underlined that hotels will continue to host guests if the treatment period exceeds the reservation period.
“We are the safest when compared to European countries”
When asked, “Can you say that Turkey has become completely safe in tourism with the measures it has taken?” Ersoy replied, “If our criterion is Europe, we are the safest when compared to European countries. In other words, when you think about the hotels or service providers that are included in the certification program, we are the safest in European standards in certified facilities. Because we have a lot of criteria, we apply them in a very disciplined manner, we provide periodic trainings and periodically conduct audits. There is no other system in Europe that is so well established.”
Reminding that the facilities in the Aegean and Mediterranean regions have started to open, Ersoy said that he follows opinion and comment platforms and reads that guests who go to certified hotels are happy.
Pointing out that the measures within the scope of certification provide comfort to guests, Ersoy said:
“Sometimes there is a concern that ‘there are too many measures, what will happen’. All of those measures are measures that bring extra comfort to the guests. With the measures, you automatically get the comfort you would normally get by paying a price difference. What is it? Physical distance. When you look at it, this is a luxury. So you stay with fewer guests in the same space. This is the most comfortable thing. There are open buffets, the all-inclusive system continues. But the way the buffet is presented has changed. One attendant gives you what you want. In fact, it is now a full a la carte service. You get a concept for which you would normally pay 50 percent price difference at the same prices.”
Secure Tourism Certification System
Ersoy said that the certification under the Safe Tourism Certification System has a logo and citizens can see the list of certified restaurants and hotels on their websites.
Emphasizing that certification is not mandatory but voluntary, Ersoy said, “Despite this, there is a lot of demand. As of now, the number of hotels that have applied has exceeded 727 and the number of restaurants has reached 900, so there are around 1650 applications so far. We were saying that it would exceed 2 thousand, but only hotels will exceed 2 thousand, if at least 3 thousand and 5 thousand restaurants come, there is a very serious application.”
Emphasizing that certification is a system that raises the service standard, Ersoy said, “We want this certification system to continue after the coronavirus. We will do some work to continue this and we will give carrots for hotels to continue to maintain their concepts within this system.”
Stating that Turkey’s 2023 targets include the transition to qualified tourists, Ersoy said, “What does qualified tourist mean? It means high standard service. This also raises standards. In other words, the coronavirus inevitably enabled us to take the road we will take in 3, 4 years at once. There was awareness of this. Thanks to this awareness, businesses were enabled to make this transformation quickly. This is a costly thing for the business, but if you want qualified tourists, you have to bear that cost.”
Stating that the certification shows that the promised standards are presented in the right way, Ersoy said, “Since our guests are mainly international, we have introduced the condition of being internationally organized. For example, ‘TÜV’ is organized in 56 countries around the world. It is known in many countries around the world. In other words, the tourists of foreign countries should know the companies that provide this certification. There are always foreign companies.”
Minister Ersoy underlined that this system will also ensure Turkey’s differentiation over time.
Hotels in the new normal
Answering the question “What changes will tourists encounter in hotels in the process defined as the new normal?”, Ersoy said that guests will feel the social distancing practice from the moment they first enter the hotels.
Ersoy said that they have adjusted the capacities of the hotels according to the physical distance and added, “At the second point, hygiene standards have been raised to the maximum level. You feel this at every stage. This is not a bad thing either. You are eating or staying in a place where you are sure of its hygiene and where hygiene is practiced at every stage.”
Underlining that the training of the staff has also been maximized, Ersoy noted that the employees guide the guests in the implementation of the measures without disturbing them.
Ersoy also stated that the guests have been satisfied with the changes made in the open buffet presentation so far.
“Turkey is one of the safest countries in Europe”
Minister of Culture and Tourism Ersoy said:
“Turkey is one of the safest countries in Europe, but some processes are being delayed for economic reasons. It is unfair, but it is being done. We are slowly overcoming every problem they put in front of us by answering them in the most accurate way.”
“We will spread public beaches across Turkey”
Minister of Culture and Tourism Ersoy announced that they will expand the public beaches operated by the Ministry across Turkey.
“We will recover very quickly and reach the target quickly”
Ersoy said, “Our target of 75 million tourists and 65 billion dollars in revenue for 2023 is still in place. We will recover very quickly and reach this target quickly.”
Source: https://www.aa.com.tr/tr/politika/bakan-ersoy-havaalanlarinda-kovid-19-test-merkezleri-acilacak/1887890
