Turkey tells tourists: Our country is safe
Turkey Tourism has urged holidaymakers not to turn their back on the country following the outbreak of bird flu that has killed two and infected more than a dozen people.
Worried tourists have been contacting the UK Turkey tourism office in London all week since news of the outbreak emerged. Tour operators have also taken calls from anxious customers.
A spokeswoman for Turkish Culture and Tourism Office admitted there was concern but reassured the public it was safe to travel, stressing the Foreign Office had not issued any warning against visiting Turkey.
“Of course there is concern and when there are front page headlines in the newspapers, people will be worried,” she told TravelMole. “But the FCO says it is safe and that is the standard measure.
“The affected areas are in the far east of Turkey and the tourist resorts are in the west, around 1600km away.
“We are dealing with supposition and what might happen and it’s difficult to counter-act that. But there have been no cases of bird flu spreading from human to human. The affected people were in direct contact with sick birds which in some cases were living in their homes.
“All we can do is give people this information and point them in the direction of the World Health Organisation and the FCO.”
The health scare could have not have come at a worse time for Turkey as million of holidaymakers pore over brochures and websites planning their summer holiday.
The spokeswoman said it was too early to predict any downturn in bookings but admitted the timing was “not ideal.”
Greek tourist officials are also keeping a close eye on developments as the affected Turkish areas are relatively close to Greek islands.
Tourists and islanders returning from day trips to Turkey were met by health officials who disinfected shoes.
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