Many people with holidays booked to popular resorts in Turkey may be wondering about whether to go ahead with their plans. There have been reports, in the mainstream media, of the Foreign Office warning against travel to certain parts of the country. These warnings are in place, however it is important to note that warnings against travelling to the provinces of Hakkari, Sirnak, Siirt and Tunceli, and any areas along the Syrian border, have been in place for the last five years. The headlines you may have seen are nothing to take note of. The areas against which it is advised to travel are furthermore not tourist areas, and it is very unlikely that you would find yourself wishing to go to them in the first place.
The strongest advice that you should take heed of is to avoid attending any demonstrations. Though some protests in Turkey have turned violent, with police using tear gas and water canons agains protestors, these are not characteristic of the majority of demonstrations going on. Most demonstrations are largely peaceful. However, it would be foolish to allow yourself to become involved in any of them. Whilst all this is going on, the beaches, bars and restaurants remain peaceful, welcoming and safe. The most inconvenience you are likely to encounter would be strike action causing disruption to public services, such as transport. If you have a pre-booked airport transfer sorted, these will be running entirely as normal.
To illustrate the fact that Turkish holiday resorts and attractions are ‘business as usual’, we advise having a look at this blog post by Natalie at Turkishtravelblog.com, who has posted some photos and written at length about the state of affairs in Turkey from a resident’s perspective. Also, check out the Kalkan Turkish Local News Facebook page, and the blog of Turkeys for Life, all of whose stance on tourism is clear: you are still welcome, and your holiday will be as safe as ever.
It is also prudent to note that taking a stand by boycotting Turkey on principle, against the dictatorial government, is unlikely to harm anybody but the families of those who work in the travel industry, both in Turkey and here in the UK. Particularly in Turkey, you should remember that if tourism there fails as a result of any boycott of the country, the government will not support those whose jobs are lost.
