Now this is going to be wonderful. Hasslers with uniforms, registration, IDs, training courses, and licenses. Hope Starman can supply photos from Sultanahmet.
Government plans to solve hanutçu problem by licensing.
Culture and Tourism Minister Atilla Koç is taking a historical step to cope with Turkish tourism's "most serious problem," by implementing the compulsory registration of hanutçus, people commissioned to use various methods to direct tourists to certain shops.
Hanutçus will try anything necessary to pull tourists into the shops they have deals with. Though the tourists do not always get a chance to say "no," sometimes they do.
The registration process will begin by the start of next week and each hanutçu will be given an identification card. Only those hanutçus insured by a craftsman and without a criminal record will be issued identification cards. Each hanutçu will wear a standard uniform so that they can be recognized by tourists. In addition, they will be educated in proper behavior toward tourists, courtesy and foreign policy. There will be ongoing supervision of the licensees and their licenses will be suspended if they break the rules.
Ministry of Tourism and Culture Manager Emre Bilgili noted that craftsmen, the government and businessmen in the tourism sector have worked together to find a solution to the hanutçu problem. "Tourists have been coming to our offices to escape the hanutçus. We have tried all manner of legal methods, but none worked so far. The sellers' cheating and deceiving tourists, hence damaging the country's image, will be solved with this project. If we are successful in Sultanahmet, the pilot region, then this new system will spread throughout Turkey," he added.
Turkey is experiencing one of its golden periods in tourism this year. The number of foreign visitors increased by 16.6 percent in seven months compared to the previous year, reaching a total of 12.8 million. As well as this rosy picture, the tourism sector's problems have arrived at striking levels. There has been an ocular increase in purse-snatching and stealing directed at tourists in hot tourism spots such as &Istanbul and Antalya. The number of hanutçus has also skyrocketed; there are 500 of them in Sultanahmet alone.
Hanutçus try everything possible to convince tourists to enter the shops they are commissioned with. Past legal methods have proven unsuccessful in dealing with the problem; they are fined YTL 54 if caught, and the shops commissioning them are given a three day- operation suspension. The shops sell rugs, souvenirs and jewelry and insist on using hanutçus. If there is a reported infraction after the three-day suspension, the shops risk losing their trade certificate.
Craftsmen, the ministry's general directorate, the Istanbul Governorship and businessmen have agreed upon registration for the hanutçus. A commission will be established, responsible for registration and administration of identification cards for Sultanahmet hanutçus. The establishments are allowed to employ three hanutçus at most, depending on the size of their enterprise.
ZAMAN: 25.08.2007
&ISA SEZEN &ISTANBUL
