Turkey’s hotel, travel, and airline businesses are counting their first losses since Monday’s earthquake. At least five hotels collapsed, and three airports were damaged and stopped. A well-known landmark was also destroyed by underground tremors. And, what is most terrible, a whole group of guides who came for training was found under the rubble in one of the cities. It should be noted that we are not talking about cities popular with Ukrainian tourists.
Thus, the earthquake destroyed hotels in the city of Adiaman, including the collapse of the Isias Hotel, the largest in the city. The destruction of two large hotels was also reported in the province of Malatya, including the collapsed hotel “Avshar”, located in one of the busiest places in the city. The Alice Hotel in the Reyhanla district of Hatay was also destroyed.
At the same time, as the Union of Chambers of Tourist Guides (TUREB) told the local media, the departure of local guides who were in the city of Adıyaman as part of the training program was in the earthquake zone – in the same Adıyaman Isias hotel that collapsed. So far, information about the hotel’s guests is not known.
In general, as reported by TUREB, there were several groups of guides sent there with familiarization tours in the region. Four groups in the earthquake zone survived more or less safe and have already been taken to Ankara.
“We are in contact with our governors, deputies, local organizations, and ministries. According to the information we received, search operations have begun,” experts of the guides’ union added.
Also in Turkey, the airports of Hatay, Kahramanmarash, and Gaziantep were seriously affected by the earthquake. All of them are closed for flights, and the runway at the Hatay airport was seriously damaged – a large crack passed through it. Accordingly, all flights have been stopped.