This latest news from Turkey is quite telling of the trend one can observe in the country. Kemal Ataturk’s Western-facing secular Turkey has disappeared, taking on a conservative character under the two-decade-old rule of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. And Erdogan’s Turkey is no longer as welcoming to tourists as it was.
Tourists descending from tour buses at popular destinations in Turkey find themselves surrounded by panhandlers demanding money, perfumers peddling their items aggressively and hawkers coercing them into restaurants. Refusal often results in harassment and verbal abuse. The swarms of fake perfumers, hawkers and panhandlers trying to extort tourists are particularly aggressive in the city of Antalya, the hub of tourism in southern Türkiye.
Unsuspecting tourists have found themselves being coerced into purchasing fake perfumes, with some sellers even resorting to slipping boxes into people’s bags without their consent then forcing them to pay up. Despite the fact that local authorities receive ‘many complaints’ about the issue, including reports of beggars surrounding tourist groups, aggressively demanding money, and hawkers coercing holidaymakers into restaurants, little action has been taken to curb the menace.
To prevent its tourism economy from being affected the government of Turkey does not accept that this harassment of tourists is a systematic problem.
Racial profiling and the mistreatment of tourists based on their appearance or ethnicity by Turkish immigration and authorities is a serious concern. The despicable behaviour of Turks toward Arabs has become more pronounced lately. There are several instances of Turkish border guards getting physical with Iranian tourists. The deportation by Turkish authorities of two Moroccan nationals to northern Syria in August 2023 fueled concerns over the mistreatment of tourists based on their ethnicity, casting a dark shadow over Turkey’s reputation as a welcoming tourist destination and bringing to light a larger issue of wrongful deportations involving Syrians and other nationalities.
Churches like Chora Church were known to draw many religious tourists every year. But these are being converted into mosques. Illegal treasure hunters recently defiled a 900-year-old church in Bursa region of Turkey.
Ancient churches and other Christian faith sites are often the targets of treasure seekers in Turkey and these sites are allowed to decay and left abandoned for years by the government.
An increasing number of tourists travelling by land and air to Turkey have long complained about the unacceptable attitude and rude behaviour of Turkish security officials at border crossings and airports.
As Turkey’s economy faces a serious downturn with inflation in the high double digits, tourists to the country have become easy targets to make a quick buck. Tourists have been complaining about soaring prices at eateries. Hotels and restaurants have been charging tourists exorbitantly, hiking up menu prices excessively while serving smaller portions and subpar food quality. The lack of hygiene at Turkish restaurants is yet another off putting aspect of the new Türkiye. Turkish taxi drivers are known to disrespect tourists and are reluctant to operate metres as they want to exploit them by charging high fares.
But not just for tourists Erdogan’s Turkey appears to have become unlivable even for urban Turks. In the past three years more than a quarter of a million of young people in the workforce have left the country, and it is likely that this number will rise. “Why should I stay?” This phrase has become common amongst the youth as well. According to a new study by the Germany-based Konrad Adenauer Foundation, 73% of youths want to emigrate. The Economist Intelligence Unit ranked Turkey 103 out of 167 in its democracy index, classifying it a hybrid regime between an authoritarian state and a flawed democracy.