“Send them home safe and sound”

 

Culture and Tourism Minister Mehmet Nuri Ersoy  made a statement about Thomas Cook’s bankruptycy.

On Thomas Cook’s difficulties, Culture and Tourism Minister Mehmet Nuri Ersoy said the most important issue was to send the British guests back home safely without any difficulties.

He stressed Thomas Cook’s bases of operations were not just limited to the U.K. but also included Germany, Nordic countries, and Russia.

He said within 48 hours the situation with Cook’s German division would be clear and if Germany is included in the firm’s collapse, the number of Thomas Cook guests in Turkey would rise from 21,000 to 40,000, and if Russia and Nordic countries are also included it would climb to 80,000. 

Ersoy said that each country has its own recovery legislation and that he hoped the problem would only be limited to the U.K. 

Ersoy added that British tourists did not slacken their support for Turkey during the country’s 2016 tourism crisis.

He added that the payments of British guests of Thomas Cook who entered the hotels as of Sept. 22 or later are under the guarantee of British authorities.

"These passengers should not be charged in any way, we have stated that we will investigate businesses that do not comply with this rule," Ersoy said.