Turkey, in its endeavor to provide further momentum to its safe tourism program, started full-fledged vaccination of tourism employees in coordination with Ministry of Culture and Tourism, Ministry of Health, and Turkey Tourism Promotion and Development Agency (TGA).

The vaccination programme covers the employees of the airlines, airports, accommodation facilities, travel agencies as well as professional guides. Vaccination of the entire tourism staff will be completed before the beginning of 2021 summer season.

Within the scope of ‘Safe Tourism Certification Program’, vaccination programme aims to welcome international travellers for the upcoming summer season and ensure the health and safety of tourism employees and its residents. Since the launch of ‘Safe Tourism Certification Program’ in June 2020, Turkey has been following stringent health and safety guidelines and taking all necessary steps to ensure it continues to be safe.

Before the opening of the season, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism started to work on inclusion of the tourism sector employees into the vaccination programme to ensure that the tourism services in the country remain open throughout the year. The vaccination programme is carried out meticulously in coordination with the Ministry of Health. The vaccination process for tourism employees started in line with priorities and within the scope of the ‘Safe Tourism Certification Program’.

As part of continuing efforts to fight against COVID-19 and further enhance position as one of the world’s safest destinations, Turkey is continuing to invest in ‘Safe Tourism Certification Program’ which is one of the first and most successful examples in the world in this field. The country has expanded the scope of the practice and made it compulsory for accommodation facilities with 30 or more rooms. Up to now more than 8,000 facilities were certified.

As the country is expecting a V-shaped recovery in touristic travels, tourism workforce is prioritized for vaccination. Turkey is taking all necessary steps to make sure it remains to be a healthy and safe tourism destination in 2021 and will be one of the top choices as a safe travel option for international travellers.