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Minister vows buffet, all-inclusive packages to stay once Turkey reopens to tourists

The Turkish minister spoke about the ‘certification of the healthy tourism’ program in the country under which guests will be able to look at the history of checks and inspections at the sites where they stay

ANKARA, May 21./TASS/. It is impossible to cancel the ‘all-inclusive’ and ‘breakfast buffet’ packages for the new summer tourist season marred by the coronavirus pandemic, Turkish Minister of Culture and Tourism Mehmet Nuri Ersoy told TASS on Thursday.

"It is impossible to cancel" the all-inclusive and buffet deals, he said in the interview. "However, necessary changes in terms of hygiene will be made when furnishing the buffet plates. The chosen dishes will be given out by the cook," Ersoy said.

The Turkish minister also spoke about the ‘certification of the healthy tourism’ program established in the country. "We have created a system of certification with very detailed criteria that will be applied at airports, on transport, in hotels and in restaurants. Personnel will undergo intensive training on a regular basis, and this will be controlled and inspected by international companies. The system is transparent — having scanned the QR-code, the guests will be able to look at the history of checks and inspections at the sites where they stay," the minister elaborated.

Turkey reported its first coronavirus case on March 10. The number of confirmed cases in the country has exceeded 152,000, as many as 113,987 patients have recovered and 4,222 have died.