It has been constantly discussing the fires in Turkey in 2021. Undoubtedly, along with the statistics of casualties and destruction, Ukrainians followed the fate of tourists who were or are still on the southern coast of the Aegean and Mediterranean Seas. Fortunately, none of them were injured, despite the fact that the fire was getting quite close to hotels in Bodrum, Antalya, Marmaris. In what condition they are now, how reasonable it is to buy tours to Turkey now, we will talk in more detail.
Is it dangerous to go to resorts after the fires in Turkey?
More than 864 people were injured by the fire, and another 10 were killed. Among the victims are local residents, rescuers, firefighters, and volunteers. It wasn’t just people who suffered. A small statistical summary will give an insight into the scale of the largest fire in the last 50 years.
Fires were recorded in 32 provinces.
In total, there are 154 fires, of which 146 have already been localised or completely extinguished. How the work of firefighters is progressing can be followed online.
- More than 1,000,000 hectares of forest were burned.
- Thousands of cattle died, animals in the forests burned alive.
- Thousands of units of specialised ground and air equipment are involved in the elimination of fires. Including assistance was sent by Ukraine, Russia, Georgia, and a number of other countries.
- 10,500 specialists from local units were sent to fight the fire, several thousand came from other countries.
- To eliminate the consequences of the fires, the Turkish government allocated more than 60 million liras; another 6.4 million dollars were allocated for the payment of material assistance to the victims.
How much has the resort been affected?
Those who are well acquainted with the geography of Turkey know that the destruction affected the mountainous regions, cities and villages located in the immediate vicinity of them. At some point, due to strong winds and hot, dry weather, the fire was getting pretty close to Antalya and Bodrum. Therefore, as a precautionary measure, measures were taken to evacuate tourists from the zone of potential spread of fire.
Related: Travel Agency in Lahore
Thanks to the coordinated actions of local authorities, the fires were quickly localised or extinguished, and tourists were able to return to their rooms after 10-20 hours. In addition to evacuation, vacationers had to endure a number of inconveniences.
Due to damaged power lines, a number of hotels were left without light.
- In Dalaman, due to the lack of electricity, there were delays from flights, but less than a day passed before normal airport operation was fully restored.
- There were breaks in water lines, so there were also interruptions in the supply of water, which were quickly eliminated.
- In Bodrum, Marmaris, Antalya, smoke was observed, which lasted about a day, after which the sky cleared.
- Some hotels had traces of soot inside. They have now been completely eliminated.
What tourists say
Vacationers note: not a single building of the hotel was damaged, the external infrastructure is also in perfect order. Therefore, a number of inconveniences that arose on July 29 and 30 have already remained only in memories. Now only columns of smoke far away in the mountains remind of fires: many share his photos on social networks.
In the period from July 28 to the present, only isolated cases of refusals from previously purchased tours have been recorded. The figures are quite comparable to previous years: those who purchased them by early booking may have situations due to which it is not possible to go at the scheduled time. Therefore, it is impossible to connect them with the situation at the resorts of Turkey.
Sales are proceeding at the usual pace for this season. Right now, in the midst of the holiday season, they are residually high. There is a great demand for vouchers for the “velvet season”.
Related: Bryce Canyon National Park
Extinguishing a fire in Turkey
- What to fear when going on vacation to Turkey after the fires
To say that the situation can repeat itself or, on the contrary, it can no longer be worth it. Fires are not uncommon in Turkey, they occur in the forests almost every year. Now almost a record number of people and equipment are being used to fight the fire. Therefore, the probability that the fire, even in the case of repetition, will be able to come close to the cities is negligible. Fears about this are hardly justified by logical arguments.
Rather, such situations remind us that force majeure can happen at any time, not only on vacation in Turkey, but also at home. Therefore, once again remember how to behave in emergency cases, to observe elementary safety rules will not hurt. The main one is to follow all the instructions of local authorities. Their decisions are coordinated with higher management and are aimed only at your safety.
Excessive caution still does not hurt. For example, it will be useful to know the numbers of emergency responders in Turkey. Be sure to save a number where you can contact your travel company. And, of course, do not ignore the need to have a stable mobile communication SIM card of a local operator, connecting to roaming or TravelSim can help out if there is no access to the Wi-Fi network.
Useful tips from Fatima Travel
Thousands of tourists who were or are still in Turkey fully appreciated the opportunity to receive support from the travel companyTRavel. There is a round-the-clock support service, which is ready to provide you with information and assistance at any time. Customers of the company can fully rely on it during the period of rest abroad.
The company’s experts say that right now the prices for tours have reached minimum values: they have significantly decreased compared to May and June. Therefore, it is advised to everyone who is looking for profitable offers not to miss the opportunity to go to a good hotel, to a prestigious resort at a bargain price not to postpone the decision to buy for a long time: soon they can return to their previous marks. By calling the phones listed on the site even before buying a tour, you will find out:
Related: Airsial Karachi to Lahore today
What documents are needed for departure; useful tips, accurate phone numbers of local rescue services, embassies and other, no less important information.
And most importantly, the most interesting and safe destinations will be selected for you, where the risk of force majeure is minimal, so that nothing overshadows the exciting journey, and you can fully enjoy the summer holidays in Turkey.
