Safe Halal Friendly Travel Destination: TURKEY

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:

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9. Walk over special sanitizer mats at all terminal access points Luggage is disinfected with a special UV system Body temperature measured at the airport entries Trays used for security controls are disinfected after each use Social distancing signs and hand sanitizers at many points in the airport Contact free check in at kiosks / counters with contactless baggage drop points PPE vending machines and contact free security check Smart Screening Helmets that thermally screen passengers’ temperatures 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.

Wome Deluxe Hotel

In conformance to the standards set by the Government, the safe tourism certification logo will be placed on visible areas inside Certified hotels. Keep an eye out for these logos when booking online as well.

Hotels have been given limited occupancy permits and owners are expected to offer masks to tourists who don’t have one. In addition, Hotels are expected to:

Check visitors body temperature upon check in Sanitizers to be offered in various areas like the lobby, elevators, floors and corridors Cleaning staff to use PPE’s Strict social distancing marks at the reception, lobby, sunbeds, pools or beach Hotel rooms to be left empty for 12 hours for disinfection and ventilation

Periodic inspections and bimonthly secret customer inspections are carried out by authorized accreditation institutions who are authorized to inspect the hotels and food & beverage facilities and check for compliance. QR codes on the logos allow guests to access the inspection data.

The attention to detail and the comprehensive analysis of every procedure has left me in awe. Islam is Ihsan (Excellence in everything that we do) and Turkey has strived for Excellence to make its Citizens and Visitors feel safe and comfortable all the time.

Have a safe and extraordinary halal holiday in Turkey.