Bootleg booze causing tourism a bad hangover
Güncelleme Tarihi:
by Kürşat Kutay
Oluşturulma Tarihi: Mayıs 13, 2009 00:00
ALANYA -A recent tragedy highlights the crisis of bootleg booze in Turkey and alarms national authorities. The investigations continue, but still Turkey needs to take some drastic steps to tackle the problem, which does not only pose danger to people, but also undermines Turkish tourism
When a group of German students checked into their Kemer hotel in March, they were likely expecting to have a good time, enjoy a little bit of sun and perhaps escape their daily routine for a few days. Surely none expected that three of their friends would lose their lives to alcohol poisoning after drinking what appears to have been contaminated vodka.
This tragic event not only killed three young people, but also put another black mark on Turkey's global reputation. The nightmare is not over yet; in fact, it is getting scarier every day. The European media is still talking about the incident and Turkey's tourism industry is now suffering the consequences of the acts of some individuals who managed to put their bootleg bottle of alcohol on the shelves of a Kemer market.
A substantial decrease in holiday bookings
The Association of Turkish Travel Agencies, or TURSAB, has already reported a substantial decrease in holiday bookings, a drop of up to 20 percent compared to previous years. According to TURSAB’s Suat Çavuşoğlu, the main reason behind the decrease is "the death of three German students," as most of the complaints the association has received mention the problem of unlicensed alcohol being sold in Turkey. The change in bookings from the Netherlands is "dramatic," Çavuşoğlu said.
"According to TURSAB's data, most of the holidaymakers from Eastern Europe, the Baltic countries and Russia based their decisions this year on the issue of fake and counterfeit drinks in Turkey," he said. "This tragic event will be the bleeding scar of Turkish tourism in 2009."
"The death of three German students has turned into a dark campaign against Turkey and our tourism industry," said Kerim Aydogan, the president of the Alanya Chamber of Commerce and Industry, or ALTSO. Like Kemer, Alanya is part of the Mediterranean province of Antalya. "The consequences of this tragic event may be irrecoverable if another similar event takes place on Turkish soil," Aydogan said, adding that the German media has presented all Turkish hoteliers as supporters of counterfeiters who allow fake drinks in their establishments at the expense of guests’ health and safety.
Since April, government officials have aggressively increased control over the drinks supply, conducting tight inspections in all tourism areas. According to the government, all necessary and possible measures are being taken. In Alanya, some hotels and nightclubs have gone further, implementing their own measures to ensure that only proper drinks are served. All this is good, but comes way too late. Can tighter inspections possibly end the threat we now all face when enjoying a few cocktails in the evening with our friends? Maybe it is time to go to the root of the problem.
This March, Turkish police uncovered 9,000 bottles of bootleg alcohol in Antalya and arrested 18 people as part of an operation called "Kazan," conducted just before the deaths of the three German students in Kemer. Another operation, carried out in January 2008 in Balıkesir and dubbed "Sarı Şebboy," uncovered 40,245 bottles of vodka, 42,139 bottles of whiskey and 33,180 bottles of beer, all produced by unlicensed operators, and an additional 26 tons of stored ethyl alcohol to be used in making such drinks. A similar operation in Istanbul in late 2007 found a total of 45,000 liters of wine and 300 liters of whiskey. The list of such incidents goes on and on.
It is obvious there is dark profit to be made on fake, counterfeit and bootleg drinks. As Minister of Culture and Tourism Ertugrul Gunay said in his April 24, 2009 speech, "We have to re-regulate this area to make it less attractive for those who are willing to act illegally." Gunay said the ministry had already applied for a reduction in taxes on alcohol drinks and had come to an agreement in principle with the Ministry of Finance. "The government is talking about acting on this," he said.
Bootleg drinks are everyone's responsibility
On their own inspections, measures taken by hoteliers and police operations are not enough to put an end to the problem of bootleg drinks. The high taxes imposed by the government encourage the illegal importation or production of alcohol drinks, not only affecting the legitimate alcohol industry, but also having a negative impact on Turkish internal affairs and the country’s tourism industry.
If one was to calculate the cost of hours spent by police forces to deal with the problem, and add to that the 20 percent that Turkey is losing in tourism revenues, the total will be far higher than what the government collects through taxes on alcohol Ğ not to mention the damage done to Turkey’s reputation and the incalculable pain caused to the victims’ families. Considering the global recession and the alarm seen in most industries, an additional 20 percent decrease in hotel reservations, flight bookings and related revenue can only lead to more bankruptcies and other economic problems in Turkish society.
The problem of bootleg alcohol is not just something for the government to deal with. Businesses, locals and non-Turkish residents in western and southern Turkey are also responsible for supporting the government in this battle.
This tragic event not only killed three young people, but also put another black mark on Turkey's global reputation. The nightmare is not over yet; in fact, it is getting scarier every day. The European media is still talking about the incident and Turkey's tourism industry is now suffering the consequences of the acts of some individuals who managed to put their bootleg bottle of alcohol on the shelves of a Kemer market.
A substantial decrease in holiday bookings
The Association of Turkish Travel Agencies, or TURSAB, has already reported a substantial decrease in holiday bookings, a drop of up to 20 percent compared to previous years. According to TURSAB’s Suat Çavuşoğlu, the main reason behind the decrease is "the death of three German students," as most of the complaints the association has received mention the problem of unlicensed alcohol being sold in Turkey. The change in bookings from the Netherlands is "dramatic," Çavuşoğlu said.
"According to TURSAB's data, most of the holidaymakers from Eastern Europe, the Baltic countries and Russia based their decisions this year on the issue of fake and counterfeit drinks in Turkey," he said. "This tragic event will be the bleeding scar of Turkish tourism in 2009."
"The death of three German students has turned into a dark campaign against Turkey and our tourism industry," said Kerim Aydogan, the president of the Alanya Chamber of Commerce and Industry, or ALTSO. Like Kemer, Alanya is part of the Mediterranean province of Antalya. "The consequences of this tragic event may be irrecoverable if another similar event takes place on Turkish soil," Aydogan said, adding that the German media has presented all Turkish hoteliers as supporters of counterfeiters who allow fake drinks in their establishments at the expense of guests’ health and safety.
Since April, government officials have aggressively increased control over the drinks supply, conducting tight inspections in all tourism areas. According to the government, all necessary and possible measures are being taken. In Alanya, some hotels and nightclubs have gone further, implementing their own measures to ensure that only proper drinks are served. All this is good, but comes way too late. Can tighter inspections possibly end the threat we now all face when enjoying a few cocktails in the evening with our friends? Maybe it is time to go to the root of the problem.
This March, Turkish police uncovered 9,000 bottles of bootleg alcohol in Antalya and arrested 18 people as part of an operation called "Kazan," conducted just before the deaths of the three German students in Kemer. Another operation, carried out in January 2008 in Balıkesir and dubbed "Sarı Şebboy," uncovered 40,245 bottles of vodka, 42,139 bottles of whiskey and 33,180 bottles of beer, all produced by unlicensed operators, and an additional 26 tons of stored ethyl alcohol to be used in making such drinks. A similar operation in Istanbul in late 2007 found a total of 45,000 liters of wine and 300 liters of whiskey. The list of such incidents goes on and on.
It is obvious there is dark profit to be made on fake, counterfeit and bootleg drinks. As Minister of Culture and Tourism Ertugrul Gunay said in his April 24, 2009 speech, "We have to re-regulate this area to make it less attractive for those who are willing to act illegally." Gunay said the ministry had already applied for a reduction in taxes on alcohol drinks and had come to an agreement in principle with the Ministry of Finance. "The government is talking about acting on this," he said.
Bootleg drinks are everyone's responsibility
On their own inspections, measures taken by hoteliers and police operations are not enough to put an end to the problem of bootleg drinks. The high taxes imposed by the government encourage the illegal importation or production of alcohol drinks, not only affecting the legitimate alcohol industry, but also having a negative impact on Turkish internal affairs and the country’s tourism industry.
If one was to calculate the cost of hours spent by police forces to deal with the problem, and add to that the 20 percent that Turkey is losing in tourism revenues, the total will be far higher than what the government collects through taxes on alcohol Ğ not to mention the damage done to Turkey’s reputation and the incalculable pain caused to the victims’ families. Considering the global recession and the alarm seen in most industries, an additional 20 percent decrease in hotel reservations, flight bookings and related revenue can only lead to more bankruptcies and other economic problems in Turkish society.
The problem of bootleg alcohol is not just something for the government to deal with. Businesses, locals and non-Turkish residents in western and southern Turkey are also responsible for supporting the government in this battle.