Russian tourists blocked in Turkey by war in Ukraine

Anton Gavrilov had booked his vacation in Antalya, southern Turkey. Meanwhile his country, Russia, invaded Ukraine and this 30-year-old can no longer use his credit cards and does not know when he will be able to return home.

At the moment he is on a sun lounger on the beach, enjoying the Mediterranean sun with his family, far from the rigors of winter.

But holidays become a puzzle for Russian tourists who can no longer use their credit cards and don't know if their airline will be able to take them back.

Shortly after the start of the Russian offensive against Ukraine, dozens of countries closed their airspace to Russian planes.

This is not the case with Turkey, which maintains flights to Moscow for the time being. Only the Turkish low-cost company, Pegasus, announced that it will suspend flights to Russia “until March 27.”

But the European Union and Canada banned the export of aeronautical parts and equipment and, above all, major manufacturers, Airbus and Boeing, suspended aircraft maintenance.

- Mir system -

Anton is also concerned about his expenses as Visa and Mastercard suspended the use of credit cards issued in Russia abroad.

The Mir system, a Russian electronic money transfer structure, continues to function. But for how long?

On the other hand, the ruble collapsed - as did Anton's economies - under the effect of Western sanctions, and the young father of the family fears that this vacation in Antalya will be the last for a long time.

Even in winter, Antalya never receives less than 100,000 Russian tourists, its favorite destination in Turkey.

In the lobby of a 31-year-old Margarita Sabatnikaya hotel shares the same uncertainty as Anton. “We don't know how we're going to support ourselves.” Because the ruble collapses but the price of airline tickets explodes, up to 400 euros the flight back to Russia, more than double the previous price.

Under these conditions, hoteliers in Antalya fear a flood of cancellations for the summer season that begins in May.

Some industry specialists expect that among the thousands of Russians who have fled Turkey since the beginning of the conflict, some will choose to settle temporarily on the coast.

But more than Russians, Ukrainian tourists -2 million visitors in Turkey last year- will probably be missing this summer on the beaches of Antalya.

Olga is trapped here. “We arrived in early February for a vacation. We should have returned two days after the start of the war but there are no more flights,” confesses this thirty-year-old Ukrainian, who came as a family and asks for a reservation of her surname.

With the features worried, watch the news on television. “We don't have much money left. We don't know what to do,” he sighs.

Barbaros Duzgun, a Russian-speaking travel agent and guide in Antalya, wonders if Russians and Ukrainians can continue to live together in the same vacation spots.

“In the past we welcomed Russian and Ukrainian tourists arriving on the same ships, the same buses. How will we do now if they book a ride on the same bus?” , he wonders.

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