Call from our Chairman of the Board

Professional tourist guides in Turkey, whose professions are defined by Law No. 6326 and whose number exceeds twelve thousand throughout our country, have a privileged position among their peers regarding quality and quantity.

 

Tourist guiding is the only profession tasked with fulfilling the promises of travel agencies, apart from conveying the culture, which is the extension of more than twenty civilizations that have lived in the geography of Turkey throughout history, to the consumers of touristic products both from home and abroad.

 

The epidemic, which emerged just at this time when the 2020 season would start, caused our colleagues to be completely unemployed.

 

Professional tourist guides in Turkey, the professional group most affected by terrorist acts such as the coup attempt and the Reina attack after the Sultanahmet attack that took place in January 2016, have come to the point of exhaustion with the Covid-19 epidemic experienced today.

 

Professional tourist guides of Turkey, who are the cultural ambassadors of our Republic within the framework of culture and tourism policies, have not received a penny of financial support since 2016.

 

In this regard, our request from our President, as those who practice this profession, which provides a living for 50,000 people with their families;

 

1) Ensuring that our colleagues, who are currently at the beginning of their tours abroad and who are prevented from returning home, return to their homes,

 

2) Tourist guides must be included in the tourism support package that will enable our colleagues to get out of the economic depression they are in, even for a temporary period, and to provide interest-free, long-term loan support that is postponed for one year,

 

3) The launch of a social media campaign to bring the successful struggle of our country against the Covid-19 epidemic to the world public and turn the situation that seems like a disadvantage into an advantage.

 

It is announced to the public with respect.

 

Hasan Baris Partal Kavala

 

History Culture Tourism Guides Association

Chairman of the Board

 

World Federation of Tourist Guide Associations

West Asia Representative

 

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