Safe Halal Friendly Travel Destination: by Haifa Hussein The Turkish government has adopted a “Safe Tourism Certification Program” and this has allowed Turkey to be a pioneer in implementing a comprehensive and well thought out action plan that involves a collaboration amongst different Ministries, Sector representatives and International companies. It focuses on the health, safety and well being of Turkish Citizens and International Guests, that is Tourists, like you and me.
TURKEY This Certification program grants the certified companies with the recognition of fulfilling the highest health and hygiene standards. They would have had to successfully comply with 130+ criteria to meet this highest level of standard. Airports, Airlines and other transportation facilities, Accommodations and Food venues were required to comply with these standards. Join me in the following paragraphs as I explore how an Airport and a Hotel have executed this action plan.
‘‘Planning a getaway, then read about why Turkey has become one of the safest places for Muslim travelers to visit. ’’ Istanbul Airport Istanbul Airport is the first airport accredited by Airports Council International ( ACI ) under the Airport Health Accreditation program. Some of the measures adopted at the airport to ensure safe and comfortable journeys for their patrons are as follows: 1. Walk over special sanitizer mats at all terminal access points 2. Luggage is disinfected with a special UV system 3. Body temperature measured at the airport entries 4. Trays used for security controls are disinfected after each use 5. Social distancing signs and hand sanitizers at many points in the airport 6. Contact free check in at kiosks / counters with contactless baggage drop points 7. PPE vending machines and contact free security check 8. Smart Screening Helmets that thermally screen passengers’ temperatures 9. Hygiene Team that ensure everyone has their masks on and are socially distanced A game changer has been the state of the art coronavirus testing center at the airport which can test 40,000 passengers a day and deliver results within 2 - 6 hours.
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