JEDDAH — Saudis vacationing in Turkey have been urged to take extra caution and avoid crowded areas. The advisory was issued by Saudi Embassy in Ankara through its official Twitter account. Saudi officials are working around the clock, the embassy statement said, urging anyone who is in need of help to contact the embassy in Ankara or the consulate in Istanbul. Turkey is one of the favorite tourist destinations for Saudis. The number of Saudis visiting Turkey increased by 30 percent in 2015 to reach more than 450,000, according to Turkish statistics. This is a holiday time, so there are thousands of Saudis vacationing in Turkey. But after the coup attempt, many Saudis who were planning to travel to Turkey for summer vacation are now having second thoughts. Meanwhile, Saudis were glued to their TV sets watching the events developing after the military coup in Turkey. According to many Saudis interviewed in this report, there were tense moments as they saw roads being blocked by military. For a brief period, the airport was shutdown and flights were canceled. Favorite destination sites were blocked by tanks and people were ordered to stay indoors. Essam Abu Assi, an expat living in the Kingdom who arrived in Istanbul on Thursday, said, "Yesterday we were in a restaurant near the hotel when we heard about the coup. We returned to the hotel. I am still in the hotel since there is a curfew. I am planning to travel to Cyprus once we are able to leave the hotel." Salma Khalid, a Saudi tourist, said that she was staying put in the hotel because of the curfew. She said she was planning to fly back to the Kingdom. Reham Radwan, a Saudi tourist with her children in Istanbul, said that she was safe with her children in their accommodation. "I feel secure. Thank God, everything is now normal," Radwan added.
