A disturbing trend has been discovered in Türkiye’s tourism sector: some travel agencies are offering tours of non-existent attractions. This information, published by Turizm Güncel, has caused serious concern in the industry, writes sterlegrad.ru.

Unscrupulous operators attract customers with low prices, but instead of visiting real historical places, they take tourists to fake locations. For example, instead of the famous Ihlara Canyon, groups end up in similar places that have no historical value. The city of Goreme, a popular attraction in Cappadocia, is shown only from afar. There are cases when ordinary warehouses are passed off as ancient underground cities.

Not only are these practices disappointing for tourists who have spent significant amounts of money on their trip, but they are also damaging Türkiye’s reputation as a tourist destination. Locals and honest representatives of the tourism industry are expressing deep concern about the situation and are calling on the authorities to take strict measures against fraudsters.

Despite attempts to independently counteract unscrupulous operators, the effectiveness of such measures is insufficient. The professional community emphasizes the need for legislative regulation to protect the rights of tourists and maintain the reputation of the Turkish tourism sector.