UPDATES WITH MORE REMARKS FROM THE MINISTER
By Zafer Fatih Beyaz
ANKARA (AA) – Turkey will open testing centers for the novel coronavirus in its busy airports by July 1 and in others by July 15, the country’s culture and tourism minister said on Wednesday.
Mehmet Nuri Ersoy announced the move when he attended Anadolu Agency’s Editor's Desk.
The test result can be obtained within two hours and €15 ($17) will be charged for the test, he said.
Ersoy said they have carried out an intense diplomacy traffic with Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu in the wake of the normalization process.
Documents on health infrastructure, preparations and measures in tourism areas were sent to 100 countries from which Turkey attracts most tourists, he stated, and added that ambassadors of 60 countries and permanent foreign press members in Turkey were invited to Antalya.
"Turkey pursues its 2023 goal to attract 75 million tourists and gain $65 billion income and it will achieve this," said Ersoy.
He also said that the number of public beaches available in Antalya, a tourist hotspot in the Mediterranean coast, will increase every year.
He emphasized that they started certification program for tourism facilities in the beginning of June.
“The certification program includes periodic inspection. We also have ‘a secret guest audit program,’ like an unexpected guest. Inspector makes reservation and stays in the hotel and writes a report after inspection,” he said.
Ersoy added that more than 727 hotels and some 900 restaurants applied for a "Safe Tourism Certification" that will indicate they took standard measures to prevent COVID-19 infections.
