Ambassador Koytak: Turkey offers safe tourism and easy travel

Ambassador Koytak: Turkey offers safe tourism and easy travel

KUWAIT: Turkish Ambassador to Kuwait Ayse Hilal Sayan Koytak spoke to Kuwait Times about travel to Turkey and measures in place against the COVID-19 pandemic. Some excerpts:

Kuwait Times: Tell us about tourism relations between Kuwait and Turkey. How many Kuwaitis visited Turkey last year?

Ayse Hilal Sayan Koytak: Tourism between Turkey and Kuwait is remarkable. Kuwait is the country that sends the most tourists to Turkey in proportion to its population. In 2019, more than 374,000 Kuwaitis visited Turkey. Last year, this number surpassed 120,000 despite COVID-19 travel restrictions. Tourism sector is not only economically profitable, but also contributes to better understanding between our peoples. Therefore, I wish to see more Turkish tourists visiting Kuwait too. I hope Kuwait will ease travel restrictions especially for our businesspersons and persons who travel for essential purposes.

KT: What is latest situation of the COVID-19 pandemic in Turkey? Where can we find up-to-date information on Turkey's COVID-19 situation?

Koytak: Turkey has become one of the most disciplined and successful countries in tackling the COVID-19 pandemic. We took early measures to protect visitors and citizens. These measures proved effective. On May 31, 2021, the Turkish government announced a gradual normalization period.

Turkey announced a four-tier system on local