LONDON: Turkey’s COVID-19 infection rates are rapidly rising after the country began easing restrictions at the start of March, raising fears that its tourism industry could be hampered in the summer.
Daily cases, which stood at 8,424 on March 1, have jumped to 21,030. Turkey has struggled to limit the spread of COVID-19 as it has looked to reopen the economy while maintaining some anti-virus measures.
Bars and restaurants were allowed to reopen at half-capacity in provinces with lower infection rates, but they have been full of customers as the rules prove nearly unenforceable.
“The decision on opening up for the tourism season is up to the success of the vaccination campaign. In order to obtain herd immunity, Turkey needs to vaccinate 70 percent of the population,” said Vedat Bulut, secretary-general of the Turkish Medical Association.
“The Aegean and Mediterranean coast currently have lower infection rates than the worst-affected areas, but when the weather gets warmer people will move there for holidays. There should be a lockdown for 14 days and then we can manage to decrease the daily cases to 100 to 200.”
The loss of tourism income during the pandemic has further hit Turkey’s weakening economy.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has held mass political rallies, which epidemiologists have pointed to as super-spreader events. Thirty percent of the new cases are mutations, most of them the UK variant.
The double dose of vaccinations has been given to just 5.8 percent of the population. The country aims to have vaccinated 50 million people by autumn.
That figure will see 60 percent of the population inoculated, below the herd immunity levels experts have deemed necessary to allow for further easing of restrictions.
Tourism workers will be prioritized for vaccinations, according to Tourism Minister Mehmet Ersoy.
His ministry has produced hygiene protocols for tourism businesses as it gambles on reopening the hospitality sector ahead of the country’s herd immunity threshold being met.
![]()
Tourism to Turkey under threat due to rising coronavirus cases
Short Url
https://arab.news/4men2
Tourism to Turkey under threat due to rising coronavirus cases
- Bars and restaurants were allowed to reopen at half-capacity in provinces with lower infection rates
- They have been full of customers as the rules prove nearly unenforceable.
India’s Modi is making his second official visit to Israel to meet with Netanyahu
JERUSALEM: Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi was expected in Israel on Wednesday for a two-day visit focusing on strengthening security, economic and technological cooperation between the two countries.
Modi has said he would hold talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Isaac Herzog and would speak to Israeli parliament on Wednesday evening.
“Our nations share a robust and multifaceted Strategic Partnership,” Modi wrote on X. “Ties have significantly strengthened in the last few years.”
Netanyahu referred to himself and Modi as “personal friends” when he announced the visit earlier this week and the visit is likely to give Israel a boost of international support after seeing relations with many of its allies deteriorate since the war in Gaza began in October 2023.
In addition to being a powerful ally, India is also Israel’s No. 2 trading partner in Asia. Total trade between India and Israel was valued at $3.62 billion in the 2025 fiscal year, according to India’s Ministry of Commerce and Industry.
Modi became India’s first prime minister to travel to Israel in 2017, and Netanyahu reciprocated with a trip to India the following year.
Netanyahu told a Cabinet meeting Sunday that economic and security issues will be high on the leaders’ agenda, as will sharing technology, including artificial intelligence and quantum computing.
“We are partners in innovation, security, and a shared strategic vision,” Netanyahu said on the social platform X ahead of Modi’s arrival. “Together, we are building an axis of nations committed to stability and progress.”
Modi’s embrace of Israel has marked a shift in India’s foreign policy. India has historically supported the Palestinians, and did not establish full diplomatic ties with Israel until 1992.
A staunch Hindu nationalist, Modi was one of the first global leaders to swiftly express solidarity with Israel following the Oct. 7, 2023 attack by the Palestinian militant Hamas group.
India was also among more than 100 countries earlier this month to condemn Israel’s newly approved measures to deepen its control over the occupied West Bank and weaken the already limited powers of the Palestinian Authority.
Modi has said he would hold talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Isaac Herzog and would speak to Israeli parliament on Wednesday evening.
“Our nations share a robust and multifaceted Strategic Partnership,” Modi wrote on X. “Ties have significantly strengthened in the last few years.”
Netanyahu referred to himself and Modi as “personal friends” when he announced the visit earlier this week and the visit is likely to give Israel a boost of international support after seeing relations with many of its allies deteriorate since the war in Gaza began in October 2023.
In addition to being a powerful ally, India is also Israel’s No. 2 trading partner in Asia. Total trade between India and Israel was valued at $3.62 billion in the 2025 fiscal year, according to India’s Ministry of Commerce and Industry.
Modi became India’s first prime minister to travel to Israel in 2017, and Netanyahu reciprocated with a trip to India the following year.
Netanyahu told a Cabinet meeting Sunday that economic and security issues will be high on the leaders’ agenda, as will sharing technology, including artificial intelligence and quantum computing.
“We are partners in innovation, security, and a shared strategic vision,” Netanyahu said on the social platform X ahead of Modi’s arrival. “Together, we are building an axis of nations committed to stability and progress.”
Modi’s embrace of Israel has marked a shift in India’s foreign policy. India has historically supported the Palestinians, and did not establish full diplomatic ties with Israel until 1992.
A staunch Hindu nationalist, Modi was one of the first global leaders to swiftly express solidarity with Israel following the Oct. 7, 2023 attack by the Palestinian militant Hamas group.
India was also among more than 100 countries earlier this month to condemn Israel’s newly approved measures to deepen its control over the occupied West Bank and weaken the already limited powers of the Palestinian Authority.
Latest updates
© 2026 SAUDI RESEARCH & PUBLISHING COMPANY, All Rights Reserved And subject to Terms of Use Agreement.