Is it safe to holiday in Turkey - everything you need to know
Is it safe to holiday in Turkey - everything you need to know
Some specific warnings are in place affecting British travellers amid tensions in the Middle East
Turkish Flag on back of boat on the Bosphorus and Mosque on hillside just above
Tensions in the Middle East since the weekend have raised concerns for travellers heading to Turkey this summer. The UK Foreign Office has issued updated advice following recent missile exchanges between Iran, Israel and the United States.
There has been a considerable disruption to international travel following the US military strikes on Iran. British Airways cancelled all scheduled flights from London Heathrow to Dubai and Doha on Sunday, and Qatar temporarily closed their airspace after Iran fired missiles at a US base in Qatar.
Despite this, most of Turkey remains open to tourism. The Foreign Office currently states that the country's main holiday destinations are generally safe to visit. However, specific warnings are in place for areas near Turkey's eastern and southern borders. All travel is advised against within 10kms of the Syrian border due to ongoing conflict and an increased risk of terrorism.
In Hatay Province, roads leading to Syria may be closed without warning. For our free daily briefing on the biggest issues facing the nation, sign up to the Wales Matters newsletter here
Additionally, travel to parts of Hakkari province, close to Iraq and Iran, requires permission from local authorities.
Travellers are urged to remain alert in public areas throughout the country, and the Foreign Office also warns that terrorist attacks in Turkey are 'very likely'.
Article continues below
There has also been a rise in demonstrations linked to events in Israel and the Palestinian territories.
Tourists are advised to avoid protests, especially near Israeli diplomatic buildings in Ankara and Istanbul.
But while Turkey shares a border with Iran, the main tourist regions are located far from conflict zones.
If you are a British national wanting to cross the land border from Iran into Turkey, you will need to request facilitation from the British Embassy in Ankara by contacting the FCDO before travelling to the border, indicating whether you are contacting from Iran or from the UK on behalf of a relative.
You will need to provide personal details (name, date of birth, details of travel document used to enter Turkey). This is required by the Turkish authorities.
The usual entry requirements will apply, including that British nationals can enter without a visa for up to 90 days in any 180-day period.
Article continues below
In summary, holidays to Turkey are still going ahead, but caution is still advised in specific regions, so it's worth keeping an eye out for all the latest updates.
You can visit the Foreign Office website here to find out more.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mirror
17 minutes ago
- Daily Mirror
Brit electrocuted while doing DIY for woman who gave him place to stay on break
Al Brown was due to fly home to meet his newborn grandson hours after the accident which happened at the property in Tepoztlan, a popular tourist destination near Mexico City A British dad died after he was electrocuted doing DIY for a woman who gave him a place to stay on a cycling trip in Mexico. Al Brown, 50, was supposed to fly home hours after the accident, because he was going to meet his newborn grandson forthe first time. The baby had been born while Al was away on a cycling holiday in Mexico, during which a woman gave him a place to stay in Tepoztlan, near Mexico City. But the grandfather of five accidentally touched a live overhead cable as he was sweeping the roof at the property and, despite the best efforts of the woman and paramedics, Al was declared dead at the scene on Monday June 2. Tributes have poured in for the "kind-hearted" dad, a keen cyclist and fisherman from Norwich. A GoFundMe page has now been created to raise money to bring Al's body back to the UK. Tony Bidwell, a family friend, said: "Al was a kind-hearted man who would do anything for anyone and was always smiling. He had a fantastic sense of humour." Tony, who started the GoFundMe page last week, told Mail Online: "He had a passion for hiking and cycling long distances. He loved his children Chloe and Aaron, and his stepdaughters Vicky and Natalie - as well as his five grandsons. "Sadly, Al passed away before meeting his youngest grandson, who was born while Al was away travelling. The main reason for Al wanting to come home was to meet his baby grandson for the first time as well as seeing all of his family, who he was missing." More than £3,000 has been donated to the fundraiser so far, though Tony is hoping to exceed the £5,000 mark. The friend, of Norwich, said Al completed the 2,650-mile-long Pacific Crest Trail, which stretches from Canada to Mexico, on his bike before the accident. The grandfather then had to have a hernia operation, which he funded himself, in Mexico. It was while Al was recovering when he went to stay on a "work away" placement and carried out light household maintenance jobs on the property. These included painting in return for the board. But the freak accident happened on June 2, which has rocked the man's family. His wife and two of his daughters have flown out to Mexico amid the difficult repatriation conundrum. "Any money raised from the GoFundMe will go towards the costs to bring Al home to rest and to give his family and friends some peace. As you can imagine this is very expensive and complicated," Tony added.
Daily Mail
an hour ago
- Daily Mail
BREAKING NEWS Qantas, Emirates, Singapore Airlines, Qatar Airways share refund message for customers
Major airlines have offered to refund thousands of customers after flights were cancelled in and out of Qatar 's airspace on Tuesday due to the Iran-Isreal war. The State of Qatar made the call after Iran fired missiles at the United States' Al Udeid air base in Qatar. The closure only lasted a few hours but it was long enough to cause a backlog at Doha Hamad International Airport which is one of the world's top 10 busiest airports. Qantas, Emirates, Virgin Australia, Etihad, British Airways and Singapore Airlines were all impaced. Qatar Airways which it runs its global operation out of the Doha Airport, and connects to more than 170 destinations around the world, was most affected. Qatar Airways said customers keen to change their travel dates could do so without paying a fee until July 15. 'Customers who no longer wish to travel can opt to receive a refund of the unused value of their tickets, without any cancellation fee being applied,' the company said in a statement. More to come.
Daily Mirror
3 hours ago
- Daily Mirror
TUI tourists slam food in Corfu hotel - but were astonished by firm's response
Paul Bell and wife Ellie say they've "washed their hands of" TUI after booking a week-long half-board holiday at the Terezas Hotel in Sidari, Corfu with the company A British couple were kicked out of their hotel in Corfu and denied boarding on their flight back to the UK. Paul Bell and wife Ellie booked a package deal with TUI but their trip was cut short - and they were barred from flying home - after TUI said they used "aggressive and disrespectful language" in the restaurant. Paul, 64, and 65-year-old Ellie spent several hundreds pounds to continue their holiday in a different hotel in Corfu, a new flight home and their own transfers. Now the couple, from North Shields, Tyne and Wear, say they will never use TUI again, as they deny shouting in the restaurant of the Terezas Hotel in Sidari, where they had enjoyed a stay before. The exchange is said to have happened after Ellie had complained to the manager about the quality of the food, which Paul described as "tepid" and "not very nice". "Some of the things you would get were rice with sprouts, or another time you'd have rice with a slice of beetroot in it. My wife spoke to the manager twice, she complained about the food being inedible and he didn't seem interested. She asked him to join us for breakfast the next day so we could show him what we meant, but he never turned up," Paul said. Paul and Ellie were handed a letter the next day informing them they were unable to stay at the hotel for the remainder of their holiday. The letter, dated May 20, said: "You caused a serious disturbance by shouting inside the hotel restaurant in front of other guests, resulting in significant distress and disruption to the peaceful environment of the hotel," and "you directed aggressive and disrespectful language towards both hotel staff, the hotel owners, and TUI representatives on site." But Paul told Chronicle Live this was not the case and TUI did not ask him or Ellie for their versions of events. He continued: "I don't remember anybody shouting. We only spoke to the rep on the day she was at the hotel and there was nothing disrespectful shown to her. They've never come and spoke to us to find out what happened, they've decided off what the manager has told them. But surely there are always two sides to a story? I was furious, because it spoiled the day we had planned." Rather than given a right to respond or appeal, Paul and Ellie were told to contact the UK consulate if they required any further assistance. Then, on May 21 at 22.28, the couple then received another letter saying Ellie was barred from flying home on the TOM1531 for Newcastle on Friday, May 23. Just over 12 hours later, yet another email stated that both Paul and Ellie would be blocked from boarding the flight. TUI said that this decision had been made in accordance with their terms and conditions, and that the decision was "due to your conduct and behaviour". Paul booked flights home from Corfu with Jet2 on Thursday, May 22, for later that day at a cost of €328.56 (£280). But after arriving back in North Shields, the couple received another email from TUI saying that "the refusal of carriage for Paul Bell and Eleanor Bell has now been revoked, and you will now be allowed travel on your inbound flight". "That doesn't help us now, because we were told we have to make our own travel arrangements and we came home. We had to pay €60 for a taxi to the airport as well, because we weren't allowed on the transfers," Paul added. "When we go on holiday, we try to go somewhere nice and quiet, sit and chill, try the local stuff, go to the towns and see the scenery and to have food like we did (in the hotel) was really disappointing. We got no back-up whatsoever from TUI. "They took whatever the manager said as gospel and came to a decision just like that. Had we been drunk and disorderly, fine, but we weren't - we've never had any bother on any holidays before, until this time with TUI." ChronicleLive understands that TUI plan to refund the couple's flights home with and their travel to the airport. TUI declined to comment to the publication further. The Mirror has approached TUI for more detail.
