Without requiring evidence of a coronavirus vaccine, Turkey will welcome British tourists into the country.
Minister of Tourism Mehmet Ersoy also said that UK travellers would not probably require a negative COVID test.
Mr Ersoy said Turkey would not require a vaccine passport for international tourists and that the country “seeks to receive British tourists with open arms,” in contrast to Greece and Cyprus who want holidaymakers vaccinated against the virus.
It comes at a time of at least one dose of vaccine has been delivered to over 23 million people in the UK.
He said, “We have world-class border processes in place for ensuring travel will be low-risk throughout Turkey. We are working with the British authorities to ensure these necessary processes are world class and as up to date as possible.
“We will not require vaccination passports from international travellers when entering the country.”
Turkey will also re-assess after 15 April whether visitors should continue to produce evidence of a negative PCR test within 72 hours of departure.
Mr. Ersoy said, “I expect there will be no such requirement from British visitors as the UK Government is rapidly and impressively rolling out the vaccination programme for the whole nation, and a significant portion of the population will be vaccinated by early summer.”
This means, as soon as the government lets go its non-essential travel ban, the country will be open to Britons.
Non-essential travel for people in the UK is currently prohibited, but the rule for people in England could be relaxed from 17 May.
On April 12, the UK’s Governmental Global Travel Task Force will submit a report on the way and when foreign vacation could be resumed to the Prime Minister.
But this move will depend on how the United Kingdom handles those returning vacationers in reports of differentiating opinions within the government – i.e. will they be required to quarantine or not.
Mr. Ersoy added that COVID-19 jabs will be prioritised before the summer season for staff at hotels and other Turkish tourist facilities.
The country will also offer a special insurance package of £12, covering expenses associated with Covid 19, such as therapy, medicines and emergency care, where COVID-19 is contracted.
The compulsory standards must also be met by hotels and other accommodations with more than 30 rooms to ensure that they are COVID-safe.
Mr Ersoy stated: “We are confident that the successful vaccination programmes ongoing in both the UK and Turkey will ensure this season is even safer than last year. More than 10 million vaccinations have been given in Turkey so far.”
According to government figures, British nationals visited Turkey more than 2,5 million in 2019.
