Travel Warnings against Terrorism Risk: The Approach of Top Tourist Source Countries to Turkey

Abstract

Based on official travel warnings and advisories against terrorism, this study aims to examine the announcements issued by top tourist source countries to Turkey in recent years and Turkey’s condition within these announcements. Travel warnings and advisories, issued on the Foreign Ministry web pages, of Germany, Russia, United Kingdom, Bulgaria, and Iran were analyzed as secondary data within the qualitative research and descriptive analysis was conducted to interpret the data. Results of the study revealed differences in the warnings of tourist source countries and bilateral relations between countries may have a dominating role on travel warnings. By July of 2017, Georgia has neither travel warnings nor advisories against Turkey. United Kingdom, which does not have a special travel warning list, gives the most detailed information about terrorism incidents in Turkey. Iran and Russia have travel warnings about terrorism risk in Turkey. Bulgaria ranks Turkey in the second-level risky countries and advises its citizens to get more information about the current condition of the country. While Turkey is not listed among the countries where Germany has issued travel warnings, it provides information on the latest terrorist incidents in Turkey. Iran, Russia, and Bulgaria do not point out a clear case or place except from Southeast region, though it is stated in their travel advisories that Turkey is under high risk of terrorism. From the point of travel advisory principles of World Tourism Organization, it has become clear that the warnings of tourist source countries must be discussed in terms of reliability and ethics.