It aimed to promote travel to Turkey as a “safe haven” for foreigners and showed unmasked tourists being served in hotels on the Turkish coast. Opposition parties and critics on social media said the promotional video was an insult to Turks. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the aim is to lower new cases to below 5,000 a day in order for tourism to begin. The president added that the government was helping the tourism sector and small businesses who have been most affected by the restrictions. Turkey is courting international tourists during an economic downturn and needs the foreign currencies that tourism brings to help the economy as the Turkish lira continues to sink.

Source: ABC News May 14, 2021 10:43 UTC