The tourism city of Antalya hosts millions of tourists every year with its 650 thousand bed capacity. Tourists coming to the city enjoy their holidays in 5-star hotels, villas and boutique hotels. Recently, bedbug complaints have started to come in hospitals, especially in some of the tourism facilities in the city.
It has been determined that bedbugs originate from bedbug eggs that tourists from European countries unknowingly carry in their luggage. Bedbugs and their eggs were found in hotel rooms, especially on the headboards of the beds, under the bases, and in the wardrobes.
The rooms, which were cleared of bedbugs after days of disinfection, encountered the same problem again a few weeks later. As the complaints increased, it was learned that large-scale disinfection was carried out in facilities, including 5-star hotels.
‘Unfortunately, FIGHTING BEDBUGS IS DIFFICULT’
Prof. from Akdeniz University Faculty of Science. Dr. Hüseyin Çetin explained that the bedbug eggs that visitors from different countries come to Antalya every year carry to hotels and from there to different parts of the city and even to houses, turn into blood-sucking insects within a few days.
Çetin said, “There has been a significant increase in the last 2 years. Most of the complaints come from hospitals, hotels and public transportation. Unfortunately, it is difficult to fight against bedbugs. It is not a problem that can be solved with a single spraying. People need to be cautious.”
‘THE SUBJECT OF INFECTION FROM TOURISTS’
Stating that the room should be checked first when going to a hotel, Çetin said, “Due to economic conditions, people prefer more affordable places to stay. However, in this case, there are places where hygiene conditions and disinfection are not good.”