The Foreign Office has updated its travel advice for Turkey with new safety guidelines.
The FCDO said that while most visits to Turkey are “trouble free”, travellers should be “alert to their surroundings” and “remain vigilant in crowded places”.
Last year, 51 cases of sexual assault – including rape – were reported to British consular staff in Turkey. That’s up from 30 in 2019. The majority, said the FCDO, occurred during the summer in coastal tourist areas, and were typically committed by someone the victim had met during the day.
“There have also been sexual attacks on minors visiting toilet facilities alone,” said the FCDO. “You should be extra vigilant in these situations.”
Drink spiking is of particular concern for the FCDO and holidaymakers are being advised to buy their own drinks and be wary of strangers offering food and drink, to change money, or to take them to a restaurant or nightclub.
Visitors are encouraged to keep their passports secure, with the FCDO confirming reports of passports being stolen from rented villas “even when they have been kept in the villa safe”.
Travellers are urged not to accept lifts from strangers and instead travel using registered yellow taxis, noting the registration before getting in.
