US issues emergency travel warning for Turkey
An emergency travel warning for Turkey has been issued by the US government in another blow for the country’s tourism.
The warning was published on the website of the US embassy over the weekend, telling US citizens about ‘credible threats’ to tourist areas, particularly docks and public squares in Istanbul and Antalya.
"Please exercise extreme caution if you are in the vicinity of such areas," it said.
Both the Islamic State group (IS) and Kurdish militants have claimed a number of deadly attacks in Turkey in recent months.
As a result, UK tour operators have massively scaled back their Turkey programmes and two UK-based Turkey specialist operators have ceased trading.
Turkey is part of the US-led coalition against IS and also faces threat from Kurdish militants after a ceasefire between the Turkish government and the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) broke down last year.
The US warning followed a warning by Israel’s counterterrorism bureau urging all Israelis to avoid Turkey, saying: "There are immediate risks of attacks being carried out in the country, and we stress the threat applies to all tourism sites in Turkey."
The travel advice from the UK’s Foreign and Commonwealth Office says the threat from terrorism remains high and says further attacks are likely.
"Terrorist groups, including Daesh and the Kurdistan Freedom Falcons (TAK), have publicly threatened to attack tourist sites in Turkey," it says.
"You should take extra care in public places – particularly those visited by foreigners. Be vigilant, follow the advice of local security authorities, monitor media reports and keep up to date with this travel advice."
Bev
Editor in chief Bev Fearis has been a travel journalist for 25 years. She started her career at Travel Weekly, where she became deputy news editor, before joining Business Traveller as deputy editor and launching the magazine’s website. She has also written travel features, news and expert comment for the Guardian, Observer, Times, Telegraph, Boundless and other consumer titles and was named one of the top 50 UK travel journalists by the Press Gazette.
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