Turkey is expected to introduce a security tax for tourists in the amount of 1.5 euros beginning on January 1, 2019, according to Anadolu. .
Initially it was supposed to introduce a tax of 3.00 euros but the Association of Travel Agencies of Turkey (TURSAB) appealed to the Minister of Culture and Tourism of Turkey, Mehmet Nuri Ersoy, with a proposal to reduce the fee, as millions of tourists have already paid for vacation in Turkey in 2019. After negotiations with the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure, it was reportedly decided to reduce the fee to 1.5 euros per person.
“One of the biggest advantages of Turkey as a tourist destination is good value for money. Tour packages for 2019 are sold for three months, starting in October, excluding the new tax. They were bought by millions of foreign tourists. Three euros might seem a small amount, but if this expense will be imposed on tour operators, they will have to pay millions of euros", TURSAB head Firuz Balika was cited as saying by The Siver Post.
The tax on security will be collected at airports on arrival in Turkey. The security tax should be paid by nationals of Turkey, European Union countries and other countries of the world irrespective of their ages and the travel season.
Meanwhile, the Association of Tour Operators of Russia (ATOR) portal Interfax-Tourism reports that the new tax is introduced unexpectedly, and it is not clear whether to charge extra tourists who have already bought tours to Turkey on early booking shares. “Most likely, for already sold tours it will fall on the shoulders of tour operators,” said ATOR.
