Türkiye is one of the most disciplined and prominent countries fighting against the pandemic. As Türkiye’s tourism and cultural capital, Istanbul has taken efficient preventive measures for its guests since the first day of the pandemic.
Istanbul’s number one priority is to help keep its citizens and guests healthy and safe under any circumstances. Türkiye and Istanbul has taken strong preventive measures for its citizens and guests since the first day of the pandemic. We worked to create short and long term safety standards and protocols for our guests. The city has extensive requirements on cleaning protocols and hygiene practices for its facilities.
Türkiye has established an “Emergency Operation Center” and “Coronavirus Scientific Board” shortly after the beginning of the pandemic. Türkiye’s national pandemic plan and Istanbul’s pandemic plan is being updated weekly through Ministry of Health and Istanbul’s own Pandemic Council. Istanbul has always been a dependable destination for tourists. Our vibrant city is ready to welcome and offer you the best examples of the world-famous Turkish hospitality & kindness.
Between 1987 and 1993, the center became a modern, internationally recognized educational institution focused on tourism education, which was later the reference for other tourism and hotel management educational institutions in Türkiye. Considering the international developments in the sector, TUGEV determined the necessity of organizing for destination promotion and established İstanbul Convention & Visitors Bureau in 1997, the first destination marketing organization in Türkiye.
Türkiye’s Healtcare Infrastructure
The Tourism Development and Education Foundation (TUGEV) was established in 1984 with goals that are aimed towards actualising the potential of the tourism sector in Türkiye, creating new potentials, increasing the industry’s contribution to the Turkish economy, contributing towards long and short term tourism policy planning, and assisting the organisation in its efforts to fullfill these goals.
- 166.517 doctors in 1.528 world class hospitals operating in the country
- 645 dedicated pandemic hospitals
- 25.654 registered beds, 203.795 registered beds in the pandemic hospitals
- 31.733 ventilators in the hospitals
- The avarage number of tests performed daily is over 90.000
- Daily PCR test capacity of Türkiye is 150.000
- Thanks to early treatmnent protocols, we reduced pneumonia development in inpatients form 60% to 3%.
- The rate of death also decreased proogressively from 58% to 7% şn patients in intensive care units.
Preventive Measures For The Guests
- Passengers and other people arriving at airports will be rendered services under the rules and guidelines set out for prevention and containment of COVID-19.
- In the airports, before passport control, each arriving passenger will go through thermal screening for temperature checks.
- In the case where a passenger is suspected to have COVID-19, the passenger will be put under quarantine in an isolated area inside the airport to be tested.
- If there are no negative symptoms detected with regards to COVID-19, the passenger will leave the airport following specified rules.
- If the passenger whose sample is taken for PCR test displays serious symptoms, he/she will be taken into an isolation room for 2 hours to wait for the PCR test results. If the result is positive, the passenger will be sent to a hospital to be treated.
- After passenger getting transferred to the hospital, they decide whether to be treated in the hospital or the hotel.
- If the isolation period lasts longer than the planned holiday, the extra accommodation costs will be covered by the hotel.
- If the passenger does not wish to spend the isolation period in Türkiye and wishes to return to his/her country, it is at airline’s or captain’s discretion to allow that passenger on board.
- Passengers may buy health insurance packages before arriving at Türkiye, online.
- If the passenger becomes symptomatic after arriving at the hotel, he/she will be taken PCR test at contracted health care facilities.
- If the passenger who had been taken to the hospital tests positive, the same procedures implemented at the airport will be followed.
- If the passenger’s country requires a certain quarantine period for its citizens upon their return, the passenger may get tested at 135 testing areas across the country for 250 Turkish Liras, hotels or designated testing areas located inside the airport before passport control for 250 Turkish Liras and fly back to his/ her country with the test result.
- In order for the guest to be treated in our country, he/she has to accept the treatment methodology and drug protocol applied in our country.
- In the case where a passenger displays any symptoms, healthcare personnel with required medical equipment will be available on site and the passenger will be tested for COVID-19. Quarantine rooms complying with all international standards and fully equipped transfer vehicles for dispatch to nearest healthcare facility will be ready.
- In facilities with over 50 rooms, isolation rooms are mandatory and COVID-19 test can be done by trained health personnel or facility must be in agreement with a competent health institution to take samples, depending on the request of guests whose residence address is abroad.
Türkiye’s “Safe Tourism Certification Program” defines and ad- vises an extensive series of measures to be taken with regards to transportation and accommodation of all Turkish citizens and international visitors who will spend their holidays in Türkiye as well as the well-being and health conditions of passengers/ guests and of employees working at touristic facilities. One of the first of its kind, Safe Tourism Certification Program led by Culture and Tourism Ministry has been developed with the contributions of Ministry of Health, Ministry of Internal Affairs, and Ministry of Foreign Affairs and in cooperation with all the stakeholders in the industry. This verification program is compulsory for the facilities with 30 and more rooms and non-compulsory for facilities with less than 30 rooms and for other defined areas are able to do so by applying to authorized international accreditation institu tions. Accreditation institutions that have been authorized to inspect accommodation facilities, food&beverage facilities, tour and transfer vehicles, culture, art and congress facilities, theme parks, ski lift and sea tourism facilities based on various interna- tional standards and criteria to issue Safe Tourism Certification Program verification conduct hygiene and health inspections and do compliance assessments. Following those inspections and as- sessments, the institutions put their findings in reports and then periodically send inspectors to facilities which have applied to the program to check whether the services are provided accord- ing to the criteria. The Safe Tourism Certification logo is placed on visible areas inside the verified facility. There are QR codes on all logos and through these QR codes, all guests and customers have access to facility’s inspection data. This way, the whole pro- cess have gained transparency.
- Periodic inspections of the facilities are conducted monthly. In addition to monthly periodic inspections, there are monthly secret customer inspections/inspections without notice.
- There is a QR code on the verification document which is provided after the inspection. The QR code is accessible for everyone and when scanned, details include date of inspection, name of inspector, deficiencies and inadequacies that have been eliminated after the inspection and other details regarding inspection.
Hosting millions of tourists every year, Türkiye launched pio- neering practices from transport to accommodation to ensure that tourists have a safe visit in the course of the pandemic. In this respect, Türkiye offers the “Tourist Protection Support Insurance” and “Extra Accommodation Cost Guarantee” in a single package for a more enjoyable and safe vacation. This insurance package lets tourists have a safe vacation in Türkiye, one of the world’s key tourist destinations with unique history, nature and culture.
Your health is under our assurance with 2 different product options to make your holiday more peaceful. You can relieve the tiredness and stress of the months without worrying about Covid-19 while visiting the Türkiye’s corners of paradise with mind at peace thanks to Covid-19 covered Tourist Protection and Support Insurance.
This is an insurance policy which pays for the treatment expenses of the people, who are hospitalized after a definitive diagnosis of Covid-19, throughout the duration of hospitalization. Policy Period is valid up to maximum 30 days, depending on the travel time of the insured. Everyone between the ages of 0-65 can benefit from Covid-19 Tourist Protection and Support Insurance. There is no waiting period in Covid-19 Tourist Protection and Support Insurance.
The HES code is a mandatory application by the Ministry of Health under coronavirus measures for you to travel safely domestically. Even if you travel by train, bus, plane or private vehicle, you need to get a HES code. HES code is mandatory for citizens of the Republic of Türkiye and people whose Foreigner’s ID No issued by the Turkish Republic start with 97, 98, and 99. The HES code is not mandatory for tourists but there are exceptions. If you would like to travel to another city in Türkiye, it is mandatory for foreign tourists to receive a HES code.
This policy is valid on the condition of accommodating at the Safe Tourism certified hotels since the beginning of the accommodation of the Foreign Tourist. If surveillance decision is taken by public pan- demic hospitals because of Covid-19 within the scope and duration of the policy, and if the insure has to prolong their accommoda- tion duration at the hotel, daily compensa- tion amount within the coverage scope of the package chosen will be paid to the in- sure. Maximum compensation duration to be paid during the policy period is 15 days. Tour- ists between the ages of 0-65 who visit our country can benefit from this product. There is not any waiting period.
Please visit https://www.covidinsurance4turkey.com/ to learn more about the insurance packages.
İstanbul Ticaret Odası Ek Hizmet Binası Hobyar Mah. Seyhulislam Hayri Efendi Cad. No:14 K:6 Fatih – 34112 İstanbul
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