Hotels preparing for new season under new rules

ISTANBUL

Turkey’s large tourism industry is preparing to welcome guests with new and much stricter rules so as to ensure a safe stay for holidaymakers amid the coronavirus outbreak.

The Culture and Tourism Ministry has set out a total of 103 criteria, with which tourism venues are expected to comply this summer, as part of its tourism certification program.

The certification document, which will be granted by international certification institutions, will indicate the fulfillment of high health and hygiene standards for airlines, airports and other transportation hubs, accommodation facilities and food venues.

Accordingly, hotels will have to arrange their premises and rooms in a way that guests can easily observe social distancing rules.

Guests will be informed about hygiene rules upon their arrival. Officials will also use thermal censors to check the temperature of personnel before and after their shifts and keep such data on file.

The ministry also advised venues to solicit payments with contactless methods, including online payment, rather than cash.

The ministry has further asked hotels to provide vacationers with disposable items in their rooms like soap, shampoo, towels and glassware.

Table arrangements

In eating areas, tables should be at least 1.5 meters apart from each other, while the distance between chairs must be at least 60 centimeters, according to the new rules.

Five-star hotels in Antalya, one of Turkey’s major tourism destinations, are already preparing themselves to receive guests as early as June.

Such facilities won’t offer room keys, while all transactions will be conducted with QR codes on smartphones.

Hotels will still continue to provide all-you-can-eat service, but food will no longer be offered in a buffet; instead, it will be displayed behind a glass to be served by personnel upon request.

Turkey aims to encourage all stakeholders in the tourism sector to take all measures to ensure healthy holidays via the certification program, the ministry said in statement.

“Our certification program shall ensure that our guests in Turkey are going to make their holidays in a safe and hygienic manner and feel comfortable during their visit,” said Culture and Tourism Minister Mehmet Nuri Ersoy.

He added that the program would cover preventive and protective steps including air, marine and land transportation, arrival ports and all holiday facilities, as well as the health condition of employees and the tourists themselves.

Ersoy added that the ministry was planning to start implementing the certification process for hotels this month, with certified facilities to to receive an online listing starting June 1.