Published on Monday, March 15, 2021

Turkey to welcome British holidaymakers without vaccinations

Turkey is ready to welcome British travellers as soon as international travel from the UK is allowed.

Culture and Tourism Minister Mehmet Nuri Ersoy said the country is prepared to accept Britons as Turkey will have all the necessary protocols in place to keep everyone safe.

"We are working with the British authorities to ensure these necessary processes are world-class and as up-to-date as possible," he said.

Proof of vaccination will not be required.

"After 15 April, we will look at the number of cases again, we will re-evaluate the situation and then decide if we will continue to require negative PCR test results from British citizens entering the country."

"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," Ersoy added.

Overseas leisure travel is currently banned until May 17.

Ersoy said Turkey will undergo a vaccination drive before the summer season which prioritises workers at hotels and other tourism operators.

Hotels and other accommodation providers in Turkey are required to meet compulsory Covid-safe standards.

There were more than 2.5 million visits by British nationals to Turkey in 2019.