11/08/2019 16:41

Avian flu in Turkey

[IMG=18778-4407] The outbreak of avian flu in Turkey is one of the main topics in Russian mass media at the moment. According to travel market experts, much attention to this subject can be a negative factor for prices for tours to Turkey. In the interview with a ‘BANKO’ correspondent representatives of Moscow tour operating companies pointed out that at the moment the situation is not serious as it is not a high season in Turkey now. As for skiing tours it is early to make objective conclusions. ‘Turkey is one of the most popular destinations for Russian tourists; therefore avian flu is a major subject for Russian mass media. It influences our business negatively, we may have some cancellations in the nearest time’, said Maria Badalova, General Director Deputy of ‘Coral Travel’. Information about the possibility of price fall is also reasonable due to mass media interest. ‘Mass media exaggerate the problem. Therefore, Turkey hotels will have to cut prices and special offers will be on sale’, suggested the head of the advertising department of ‘PAK Group’, Maria Malisheva. Meanwhile, travel agencies are worrying about being legally liable for sending people to the epidemiologically dangerous region. In the recent interview to ‘Interfax’, Gennadyi Onischenko, chief medical sanitation officer of the Russia Federation, recommended Russian people to withhold trips to Turkey. The legal agency ‘Persona Grata’ explains that the fact of selling tours to Turkey by travel agencies is not a violation of rights and does not entail legal liability. But it must be taken into consideration that tour operating companies must inform tourists about possible danger tourists can face during their trip.