Vacations in Turkey have been predicted by a new problem: refugees left without a roof over their heads from cities destroyed by an earthquake in February may “occupy the beaches” of resort areas with warming. At least this issue has already been discussed in the Turkish tourism press.
It said that in preparation for the high summer season of 2023, the tourism sector risks facing a number of unexpected problems “when the 13 million refugees declared by politicians occupy the beaches in the summer”.
According to experts, such a situation can, firstly, lead to social tension. “Local residents can be intolerant of refugees, especially when they have their own economic and social problems. A large number of refugees can lead to social tension,” experts assure.
Secondly, the situation in general may have a negative impact on tourism. “People generally expect their resort areas to be calm and comfortable. If, instead, the beaches are occupied by refugees whom the locals are trying to expel, this will have a negative impact on tourism. Tourists will avoid visiting such areas and, thus, reduce income from tourism,” Turkish experts assure.
Moreover, any solution to this problem is not in sight yet. Tourists can be reassured only by the fact that mainly in Turkey our tourists prefer hotels with “their” beach and closed territory. Most likely, outsiders will not be allowed to “occupy the beach”.