There's good news for any residents of six countries planning to vacation in Turkey, as it has decided to exempt their visa requirements from 2 March. This will make things easier for holiday-makers as well as eliminating visa charges.
The countries are Austria, Belgium, the Netherlands, Spain, Poland and the UK. All but the UK are part of the Schengen Area, an area comprising 26 European states that have officially abolished all passport and all other types of border control at their mutual borders. According to the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, visa requirements will be exempt for these six countries for travels to Turkey for up to 90 days within a 180 day period. “This step aims at increasing our tourism potential with these countries as well as further developing our trade, economic and cultural relations,” it said.
Turkey was the sixth most-visited country in the world in 2019, according to the World Tourism Organization. Visitors are attracted to the richly historical land, which has more than its fair share of world-famous ruins and monuments. Experiencing it takes you from the closeted quarters of the sultan and his harem in İstanbul's sprawling Topkapı Palace to the romantic and mysterious Lycian ruins on Mediterranean beaches.
Turkey's culinary specialities take visitors to the heart of its culture. Its diverse landscapes range from Aegean olive groves to eastern steppe and provide a lyrical setting for its many great ruins. The country's most magical scenery is to be found in Asian Anatolia, where beautiful vistas are provided by the vertiginous Mediterranean coastline, Cappadocia's otherworldly rock formations and wavy valleys, the alpine pastures of the Kaçkar Mountains and golden beaches such as the 18km-long Patara Beach.
And the waiving of the visas is likely to make it even more attractive to visitors.
