Lithuanians are already flocking to Turkey without waiting for the summer: they have to request new rules and a different ‘all-inclusive’ procedure

Turkey is very hungry, as hungry as a bear, after hibernation. This would probably be the most accurate way to describe the mood of this Lithuanian tourist’s favorite vacation country. For locals until May 17. There is a strict quarantine there, but tourists are not, they are so welcome that as soon as they land they can enjoy freedom, rest and other pleasures. While there is uncertainty in Europe, many countries continue to impose various restrictions on arrivals (the Turks are trying to take advantage of this situation and urge everyone planning a vacation this summer) to reserve seats in their country’s resorts as soon as possible. “Don’t be afraid of the virus, we disinfect everything,” the Turks shouted. It is true that they really worked from the shoulder.

The fact that this holiday country will be different this year can be said immediately after landing at Antalya International Airport. With the decrease in travel flows, there are no longer long lines, no ordinary noise. This is likely to be the case until flights from Russia to Turkey resume. At this point, everyone is arrested. Furthermore, many European countries have yet to launch charter flights, which are facing serious consequences from viruses.

As long as there are few people, all the airport procedures are carried out at record speed. For example, upon arrival, you can turn around in 10-15 minutes from when you got off the plane until you picked up your suitcase. When flying back home, too: after handing over the suitcase, passengers go through all the controls with practically no stopping in the queues.

The most surprising thing is the way in which the airport is redrawn longitudinally, aligned with many and varied landmarks that mark the distances between travelers. In fact, like no other airport in the world, I have not seen anything like it in the last year. Yes, all kinds of lines were drawn, they all introduced stop signs, but as many as in Antalya, I didn’t see them anywhere. Even the country’s largest airport, Istanbul, doesn’t pay as much attention to the spread of the virus as it does on Turkey’s tourist side.

Another observation, maybe a little funny, but they sanitized everything so badly in Antalya that the smell of alcohol lingered in the air. It can be a mix, at the airport or in a bar. Everything so that vacationers are not afraid to come to the Turks, so that as many foreigners as possible want to vacation here and feel safe. I also filmed the last episode of my travel show “After a year break, Lithuanians return to Turkish resorts: how has everything changed?”

“It just came to our notice then. We took those years out of our lives. In mid-August, the resorts in the Antalya region were closed, the hotels were closed, we had no tourists. What happened here seemed very, very sad to me. “Says Muammer Yenici, manager of the L’Ancora Beach hotel, who has been working with tourists from Lithuania for many years. The popular four-star hotel in Kemer, on the seafront, has reopened On April 15 after closing a year, it plans to receive most of the guests from our country, and probably also from Ukraine, this summer season The L’Ancora Beach Hotel has been cooperating closely with the tour operator of our New country for many years, so every summer several thousand Lithuanians who want to relax come from this partner. “These are my favorite tourists, I love Lithuanians very much, they are good customers, neat and polite, “says the director, Mr. Muammer. He himself has been to our country many times, because his brother, who married a Lithuanian woman, lives in Vilnius.

On the door of the L’Ancora Beach hotel, tourists will find a new sticker, very important to Turks, with the inscription in English “Safe tourism”, which means that it is a place of “safe tourism”. The relevant services have verified and issued a certificate that resting in this place is safe, people can be sure that the hotel management puts a lot of effort into their safety. “We follow all the rules recommended by health professionals, we divide the entire hotel into zones, we put up posters with the fourteen most important points that our guests should know,” explains the owner of this place.

Most hotel accounts in the Antalya region have an additional cost line of between several and several thousand euros per month for disinfection and security measures. This is confirmed to me by Rasa Eimontaitė, the Novaturo travel guide, who meets Lithuanians at the airport and accompanies them to their chosen hotels. The woman herself, who has lived in Turkey for many years, says that local businessmen take the situation very seriously and are aware that if people become infected with the virus during their holidays, companies will suffer irreparable damage. “As a result, many tend to spend money on security. Not a single hotel has hired additional staff or reassigned former employees to disinfect those responsible. Both the guest rooms and all common areas are disinfected,” he says.

The tourist guide, who has been traveling extensively in the Antalya region with Lithuanian tourists since the first days of April, says she feels completely safe for both herself and the people who have come to rest. “I admire how the Turks are trying, how much work they do. I’m not just talking about the hotels, but also the places we go on excursions. Strict order everywhere, safety comes first. Also, Lithuanians really like that there are no queues anywhere, there is no need to shrug. Everything is happening much faster and more conveniently ”, revealed R. Eimontaitė.

From several tourists, he heard the question of the use of masks, where and when they are mandatory. “In general, masks are only required in closed places where a lot of people congregate. For example, in a hotel restaurant, when choosing food. Also queuing at the bar, if there are many people there ”, explains the Novaturo representative. And he denies the stupid rumors that even people on the beach wear masks. “Nobody burns or bathes in a mask unless they want to. However, there are certainly no such requirements in Turkey. There are larger spaces between beach hammocks and pools, but many people like it very much; the people it has more space and privacy, ”said Rasa, who traveled through Alanya hotels, answered my most frequently asked questions.

It is also worth mentioning that people currently working in Turkish hotels are being mass vaccinated against the coronavirus as a matter of priority. This is being done at a very high rate, as we want to continue vaccinating everyone who works with tourists until the tourist season is even stronger.
In some places, guests can already hear the assurance that they will be cared for by a fully vaccinated team. This is noted as a great advantage of the hotel.

One of the most important issues and adventures among vacationers is all-inclusive catering. It is really different now, and Lithuanians who hear this fact are worried that they may now eat or drink less. Still, with portion sizes, the changed eating rules have nothing to do with it. At this time, in the restaurants, cafes and canteens of the hotels in the Antalya region, the food is not prepared by the vacationers themselves, but by the hotel staff. Armed with masks, gloves, and sometimes shields, they stand by the dishes and wait for orders of what and how much a person wants to eat.

Ethem Celik is a professional chef who has received numerous awards for his culinary achievements. He currently works at the five-star Barut Collection hotel in Kemer. Many Lithuanians value this place for its very tasty and high quality food. “I can assure you that although the hotels are not going through the best of times, we have not changed anything in the food, we have not reduced quantities, we have not started to save on ingredients. Everything has remained as it has been for many years now, ”says the respected chef from the tourist region. I asked him about the new all-inclusive catering system, where his colleagues, other chefs, put dishes on plates. “We do this to make our guests feel more secure, not to save money. As much as you want, you get. You can say: thank you and my colleagues will definitely put it on. There can be no “no”. We have no right to restrict guests, they have paid for everything they receive here. And for me, in fact, it is a pleasure if a person comes and asks to repeat one or another dish ”, explains Chef E. Celik.

I would call those food “donors” more protective of food, protecting food from people’s fingers, saliva, sneezing, coughing, and other situations that are dangerous for this period. The kitchen manager I spoke to saw a very logical advantage: “When we put food for a guest, we try to make everything look more aesthetic on the plate, we add some extra dishes.”

Party fans will feel the restrictions too. To avoid a long line at the bars, some hotels have installed more, especially during night programs. A few additional bars are opening, as well as more waiters serving individual guests. Again, so that people can keep their distance from each other.

Although the global pandemic is not over, as usual, Turkish hotels continue to organize parties, dances and other entertainment programs for tourists. The only difference is that now everything is happening in an open space. Whether in hotel amphitheaters or on specially equipped dance floors, those without such outdoor venues were specially equipped. In addition, some hotels have decided to adapt the program to current times. For example, don’t run a nightclub, but show a show program with actors, dancers, singers, and even models.