The ban of the European Union countries on issuing visas, first to Russian tourists, and now the growing share of refusals to Turkish citizens to obtain Schengen has hit foreign tours. According to the results of last month alone, about 40 departures from Turkey were canceled, and 500 tourists became victims, Turizmguncel newspaper reports. Moreover, no one refunds the paid consular fee to citizens in case of visa refusal.
The countries of the European Union are reacting negatively to the applications of many Turkish citizens to obtain visas due to the increase in the number of applications that came to the EU to receive asylum during geopolitical upheavals. It is noted that the increased level of refusals hurts tourism in Turkey – trips abroad.
Turkey’s travel agencies note a shocking shift in application deadlines. They say consulates are delaying interviews too much because of overcrowding, and say that interviews that used to be scheduled within seven, three, or even one day are now scheduled a month later.
Among the European countries, the anti-leaders regarding the refusal to issue Schengen are Italy, Austria, the Czech Republic, and Spain. At least one travel agency canceled a total of 40 tours with the participation of 500 people and suffered losses in the amount of 200-300 thousand euros due to refusals and violations of application review deadlines.
However, in case of refusal to issue a visa, tourists are not deprived of the entire amount of the tour. This happens thanks to the payment of insurance. But agencies and tour operators lose money. Thus, a representative of one of the travel agencies told the newspaper about the increase in rejections from Europe. If earlier the number of visa refusals was 2-3 (2-3%) out of 100 people, now it has increased to 20-30 (20-30%). At the same time, it was emphasized that in a tour of 40 people, 5-6 travelers, as a rule, remain without visas, and therefore, the agencies are forced to cover their expenses. In addition, sector analysts shared information that so far at least 100,000 people have not been able to participate in planned tourist trips.