Turkey has in the time frame of a few months, suffered a couple of terrorist attacks, which have killed and injured civilians and tourists. This has naturally led to a fear of going here.Â
But Turkey is a big country and therefore we thought that today we should find out if it is safe to travel to Turkey or not, and what you should consider.
Read our answers and determine yourself if Turkey is safe for tourists or not!
What is the security situation in Turkey?
Turkey has been hit by four terror attacks in three months. Two attacks in Istanbul and two attacks in Ankara. The latest attack took place in Istanbul on the popular Istiklal Street.
There is a terrorist threat to the country, but it is especially in larger cities like Istanbul and Ankara, as well as the border area to Syria that are most threatened. Elsewhere in the country life goes on as usual at an easy pace.
Who is behind the attacks?
It is mainly ISIS, PKK and leftist Turkish groups behind the attacks.
What is Turkey doing to stop and prevent terrorism?
In Istanbul, they have X-ray scanners at all the museums and shopping centers. These scanners can detect bombs that could be used to harm other people. In mosques as the Blue Mosque, there is no X-ray scanner. It has also increased the number of police officers in the city.
The Turkish prime minister has spoken out like this:
“No center of terrorism will reach its aim with Such monstrous attacks. Our struggle will continue with the Same resolution and determination Until terrorist ends completely. ”
Is Turkey safe to travel to?
Swedish Foreign Ministry has not yet begun to dissuade tourists from traveling to Turkey, in addition to the areas bordering Syria. This is the first sign that there will be no danger of going to Istanbul. UD updates their safety data daily and the best thing to do is to follow these.
We on the other hand would not recommend anyone to go to Istanbul or Ankara. They are more prone to attacks, and it’s likely to happen again in these cities if you look at the pattern, where they target open places where there are people. This means that even tourists are vulnerable in Istanbul and Ankara, as tourists often moves in places with lots of people.
As for other tourist destinations like Side, Bodrum, Marmaris and so on the situation is something else entirely. These resorts are small and there is no direct terrorist threat to these places. One could compare it this way to get perspective on the whole thing:
Would Stockholm be a victim of terrorist attacks, it is hardly a chance that Luleå or Växjo would be dangerous to go. The same is true in Turkey. Just because something is happening in Istanbul, it does not mean automatically that it would be dangerous to go on a holiday to Side.
Obviously we can not guarantee that it is completely safe to go there. But on the other hand, one can not guarantee that somewhere in the world, not even in Sweden, or any country for that matter. At home in Sweden and other countries, there are daily murders, rapes, etc. There have also been incidents involving grenades and shootings.
With that said, we would like to say that it is just as safe as usual to go to tourist resorts in Turkey. However we advise tourists from visiting Istanbul and Ankara, as well as areas close to the border with Syria.
Prices have never been better than now
Travel to Turkey has never been cheaper than it is now, either. Many have canceled or refrained to book trips to Turkey because of the attacks in Istanbul. This has led to the situation where travel companies are forced to sell off all the trips to avoid losing all their invested money. There are plenty of cheap holidays to Turkey and when arriving to Turkey, you can enjoy even lower prices on tours, souvenirs, etc.