(TAN): Turkey will enable visa-free travel for citizens of five Schengen countries and the United Kingdom in a bid to boost tourism from these European nations, reports said.
As per reports, Turkey will lift visa restrictions for tourists from Austria, Belgium, the Netherlands, Poland, Spain and the United Kingdom starting March 2, 2020.
Under the new rule, citizens from the six countries will be allowed to stay in Turkey without a visa for a maximum of 90 days per 180-day period, according to reports.
“As of 2 March 2020, Turkey has decided to exempt visa requirements for the members of the European Union Schengen area, Austria, Belgium, the Netherlands, Spain, Poland as well as the United Kingdom citizens for touristic travels to Turkey for every 90 days within 180 day period,” Turkey’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs was quoted by Express as saying.
The ministry reportedly said the decision will strengthen tourism relations with these nations, and further improve commercial, economic and cultural relations with them.
“This step aims at increasing our tourism potential with these countries as well as further developing our trade, economic and cultural relations,” the ministry added.
Turkey reportedly requires visas from certain European Union member states and Schengen countries while others are exempted from the rule. As per reports, tourists from 78 countries, including Germany, Spain, France, Sweden, Italy, Ireland, Switzerland and Finland have been excluded from visa requirements.
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Currently, all British tourists except cruise passengers have to apply online for a visa that costs GBP 27 (USD 34.80 approximately) to travel to Turkey, one of their most popular holiday destinations, according to reports.
Around 51.9 million people reportedly visited Turkey in 2019, up 13.7% from the earlier year.
Of this, 86.2% were foreign visitors – 45 million overseas tourists travelled to the country last year, 14.1% higher than the same period of 2018, as per reports. The rest – 13.8% were reportedly Turkish citizens living abroad.
