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Foreign Office Warns Tourists To Be Wary When In Turkey

Foreign Office Warns Tourists To Be Wary When In Turkey

With presidential and parliamentary elections coming up, the Foreign Office says tourists need to be careful

Stewart Perrie

Stewart Perrie

Turkey has some phenomenal sights to see, including the mosques in Istanbul, balloon riding in Cappadocia, thermal spas in Pamukkale and the cheap beer and awesome street food.

But that doesn't mean that the place, like virtually anywhere in the world, is without risk.

The UK Foreign Office recently updated its advice for Brits travelling to the country as presidential and parliamentary elections are due to be held later this month, which could cause some unrest. Remember in 2016 when there was a failed military coup in Turkey?

The statement says: "[The elections] may result in rallies and demonstrations around the country; you should avoid large gatherings and follow the advice of the local authorities."

Thankfully, there's only a sliver of the country where UK authorities reckon you should avoid at all costs which includes anywhere 10km from the border with Syria - which, to be fair, is understandable.

Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan speaks to people at campaign rally.
PA

There's a slightly larger area where tourists should only go if they have to go, which is Sirnak, Mardin, Sanliurfa, Gaziantep, Diyarbakir, Kilis and Hatay provinces and the areas of Siirt, Tunceli and Hakkari.

Further down the Foreign Office's advice is something a little more unsettling, which reads: "Terrorists are very likely to try to carry out attacks in Turkey. Terrorist groups, including Kurdish groups, Daesh (formerly referred to as ISIL) and far left organisations, continue to plan and carry out attacks. Further attacks could be indiscriminate.

"Most terrorist attacks have taken place in the south and east of the country and in Ankara and Istanbul.

"Attacks are most likely to target the Turkish state, civilians and demonstrations. Nevertheless, it's likely that some attacks will also target western interests and tourists from western countries, particularly in the major cities."

Terror attack in Sanliurfa in February last year.
PA

There have been a bunch of terror attacks in the last decade, with dozens of people dead and hundreds more injured. As the Foreign Office stated, it's not just Islamic State looking to carry out attacks but also political extremists.

More than 1.7 million British tourists flowed through Turkey in 2016 and the ones paying a visit this year are encouraged to have their wits about them.

If this wasn't scary enough, the country is also prone to earthquakes, with a nasty 6.7 magnitude quake occurring last year, which caused injuries to more than 360 people.

So if you're packing your bags to fly there in the next few weeks, just remember that you need to be wary of your surroundings and avoid large groups.

Featured Image Credit: Kamiox/Creative Commons

Topics: UK News, Warning, News, Travel Advice, Turkey, travel, UK, terror attack