33 replies to this topic

[sunny]

Do you think that the new alcohol laws in Turkey will affect you?


HDN

[sunonmars]

I think the most affected part is the fact you'll have to be 24....thats a serious chunk of your tourist industry right there.........

[sunny]

The regulation curbs the advertising of alcoholic beverages and tightens rules on how alcohol is displayed in shops, and sold or served in the public realm.

It prohibits authorised sellers from taking alcohol outside their premises, making it harder for catering companies to organise wedding parties or similar gatherings.

Alcohol is banned from events for "children and young people", like concerts or festivals, with the age barrier kept as high as 24.

One provision says alcoholic beverages cannot be distributed for free or as presents and promotion.

The regulation bans the advertising of alcohol on television and radio, while stating that printed advertisements should not associate drinking with the celebration of special days.

The new rules have forced Turkey's internationally renown basketball team Efes Pilsen to look for a new name to replace the beer brand it currently bears.

[[I think the most affected part is the fact you'll have to be 24....thats a serious chunk of your tourist industry right there.....]]

It is not just the tourist trade that will be affected. Many bars, beach clubs and restaurants in my area rely on the young Turkish age group as the majority of their clientèle.

We are used to having booze as prizes for raffles etc. That will have to stop now.

[Cukurbagli]

They are probably going to affect all of us in some way directly or indirectly. It seems to me to be a retrograde step but as one of the commenters says, I wonder if the coastal tourism strip will be affected.

[Fil]

I think it is extremely unlikely to affect tourism, the new laws need to be seen in context as part of the ongoing struggles by different elements in Turkish society for control over others, I see it as being for internal consumption. The new age limit targets youth, which is a group that conservative elements want to exert more control over. The headscarf issue is to a large extent another tool for control of the youth. But the new measures in themselves will probably not have any great effect, apart from making some sections of society feel got at. It will probably get more difficult to have a drink if you are visiting towns away from the tourist zones. But it is already like that in many places, and has been for some time. I went to Bursa for a weekend winter break in 1990 and we could not find a single restaurant that would serve alcohol with our meal. We had to find a bakkal that sold beer, and that was difficult even then, and we drank the beers in our hotel room. As for the situation now, the licensing laws already seem to be flouted where tourists are concerned.

[sunonmars]

Fil

I don't think they will exclude the tourist zone this time,it seems they are adamant in imposing their position, its different applying it to areas like in the past but when you impose a legal age of 24, then they would have to enforce that nationally or face challenges in courts up and down the land.

They are determined to change the landscape and when they bang on about it for the "health" you know its ridiculous...21 would have been more than sufficient but 24, thats a joke. You can go die for your country at 18 but cant have a social drink. Screw that.

[Fil]

Well, sunonmars, we'll have to wait and see. I bet that tourism won't be affected.

[sunny]

I think it may depend on which party is in power in each particular area. In the Izmir area it's the CHP

[benhalterci]

Very interesting. I do agree with Fil here and in fact I was talking to a Turkish journalist yesterday and he said ' this is for us and won't affect you foreigners. As some on thus Forum know I live in Beyoglu in Istanbul and Taksim and Asmahlimescit are designated entertainment areas. Nearly all the punters are young Turks and especially on Friday and Saturday nights these steets are packed with revellers. What I can't envisage is then, how this law will be enforced? Will they have regular police raids and ID checks in bars here? And as Beyoglu belideye make huge money from this industry what will they do? And...yes, they are AKP:)

[Fil]

This issue is also connected with the forthcoming election, too.

[Lucid]

bet a fair few mothers with sons who go out 'drinking' will vote for you know who just being fools & thinking its for the good of....bla bla
so many village women who bothered to vote last time voted foolishly in our family area & talked openly about it...its people like that who dont really know anything about the bigger picture that make a certain person look so popular...& they are at the age where you would think freedom & freedom of speech matters most as they lived though harsh times..
i wish turks were more vote savy...we will see ..next time
alcohol is an issue for some families as their men (supposedly main earners) spend all their wages on it -but i think they do it to rebel against all the forces that be (including the one above ;-0) that state that alcohol is evil etc....its a real no no in our family anyway so what do they go & do when they want to be 'free'..drink.
in the wrong hands simple pleasures can be dangerous..glad they have started to crack down on drink driving at least but to ramble on about it being so bad only creates more of a reason to get hold of some for young turks.thats what i think anyway...

[benhalterci]

Fil, do you mean it will be overall popular with the majority in Turkey?

[Fil]

I am afraid so, as most of them don't drink themselves, aren't aged 18-24, and would like to stop those uppity university students and rich kids having fun. And they will be able to portray the opposition as being in favour of young people drinking and sleeping together.

[benhalterci]

I see. Fil, do you agree with me that this age limit is frankly unenforceable and the law, if and when ratified, would (if enforced) mean the closure of half of Beyoglu for a start?

[Fil]

Yes, I do, a few people in a few places will be hassled, but I doubt if it will make much difference to what goes on at the moment.

[sunny]

If the limit is 24 and it is enforced it will mean the closure of most bars, night clubs and beach clubs.

[benhalterci]

Exactly. So it's got no chance of being enforced:) As Fil said, they might pick on a couple of bars for show, but it won't mean anything.

[sunny]

Just saw on TV this evening that the 24 age limit was being implemented in Istanbul with people turning up at bars and clubs being asked for their identification cards and being refused alcohol if they were under 24!

I also heard today that bars etc. are not allowed to sell cigarettes anymore.

[baykus]

Well if the police have to patrol this then the crime rate will go up because they can not be in 2 places at one time. I think that 24 is too old, 21 would be enough.
When the English press see this they will make make a big thing of it and it will put off young people from coming on holiday to Turkey even if it is unlikely that holiday resorts will be checcked.

[benhalterci]

Wow that is interesting, Sunny! Unfortunately it didn't happen in the noise hole behind my windows or I might have got a better night's sleep:))
Seriously...Turkish people are not a boozy nation unlike the Brits and worse still, East Europeans. They drink for celebrations, with meals etc but it's not in their DNA to get rat arsed and cause criminal damage or GBH.
That said..the culture is changing. With the youth becoming more affluent, entertainment areas like the one I live in here in Istanbul, are extremely crowded at the weekends especially and predominantly with young Turks. In some ways I agree with the government, since young people do need protecting from alcoholism which creeps in without being noticed.
I don't agree with straight banning booze since it would then go underground and become more dangerous but cheap and readily available alcohol is not a good thing in my opinion. It's not good for the health or for the people around who get affected by it. I'd rather be in a smoky room than near an aggressive bunch of drunks. Agree?
As far as the remark about young foreign tourists being put off from coming to Turkey - well, so what. If they need alcohol to have a good holiday it's a bit sad isn't it. Having seen at first hand the social damage that alcohol does, I think it should be treated with care and 24 is reasonable. It's not 30 is it? One of my Turkish friends agrees with this too and he said at 24 their men have come out of the army and are more mature and this is why 24 was probably chosen as to some it seems a random figure.
I wouldn't worry about the police as they only seem to stand around here with machine guns to control the endless demonstrations and they are never around to kick out the druggies and drunks around my area.