Turkey’s Erdogan to discuss tourism with Boris Johnson at Nato summit

Turkey wants to attract holidaymakers but is on UK’s travel red list

TOPSHOT - In this photograph taken on February 15, 2021, doctors and a nurse (C) from the Bahcesaray public hospital vaccination team, arrive at the village of Guneyyamac in eastern Turkey, as part of an expedition to vaccinate residents of 65 years old or above with Sinovac's CoronaVac Covid-19 vaccine. Turkey's population of more than 83 million is spread out across Europe and Asia and covers some seemingly impregnable terrain. The vaccination effort with China's CoronaVac jab kicked off with a bang in mid-January when Turkey innoculated more than a one million people in the first week. But it slowed down considerably when doctors left the big cities and tried to reach mountain places such as Imamli and Ozbeyli -- two ethnically Kurdish hamlets of a few hundred herders and farmers each. / AFP / BULENT KILIC

Doctors and a nurse from the Bahcesaray public hospital vaccination team arrive at the village of Guneyyamac in eastern Turkey as part of an expedition to vaccinate residents of 65 years old or above against Covid-19. AFP

Jamie Prentis

Jun 02, 2021

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey will discuss tourism with UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson when they meet at a Nato summit this month.

Last month, the UK placed Turkey on its Covid travel red list and warned citizens against visiting the country because of the coronavirus.

Pilgrims walk around the Kabba at the Grand Mosque in the Muslim holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia, in a limited pilgrimage in 2020. AP

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It led to the all-English Champions League football final being moved from Istanbul to Portugal and the cancellation of the Turkish Grand Prix.

Red list countries are regarded as high risk and only British or Irish citizens and those with UK residency rights are allowed to enter Britain after visiting Turkey in the previous 10 days.

Tourism is a vital source of income for Turkey, but Mr Erdogan said his government was hopeful ahead of the usually busy summer season.

Mr Erdogan told state broadcaster TRT Haber that tourism officials had held talks with German and Russian officials in an attempt to entice holidaymakers.

Mr Johnson is expected to push US President Joe Biden to open up a US-UK travel corridor, creating an exemption from Covid quarantine rules for vaccinated travellers between the two countries.