The Antalya police department issued on April 27 a ban on the consumption of alcohol in a "disturbing and open" manner in public and in parked cars. The public and those working in the tourism industry reacted so strongly to the ban that it was reworded, but that did not end the controversy.
Tourism professionals see the ban in the coastal city of Turkey as negatively impacting an already floundering tourism industry, while social media users suggest the ban is aimed at imposing a conservative lifestyle. Stunned by the reaction, the police department removed the decree from its website and replaced it with an updated announcement that omitted the word “ban” and stated that public alcohol consumption was to be “regulated” by the Governorship of Antalya.
