Istanbul is a city which once hosted 12 million tourists a year, however those numbers have dropped. In an effort to revive the tourism sector, the city’s police department has created a new division to ensure the safety and comfort of visitors.

There are 100 police officers amongst the forces and five to six languages are spoken amongst any set team, including Chinese. 

Outside, they check the registration of passenger vans to ensure tourists are with a credible, licensed tour guide company. 

"We are distributing brochures to the passengers arriving. The brochures inform these passengers about the safety of our country. If there are any problems, foreigners know who they can reach. On the back of the brochure, there is a section for them to write down any problems they face. It also has our contact addresses,” said Mustafa Kursun, the manager of Tourism Police.

 “I think it makes me feel much safer. When I got off the plane I saw policemen in the airport. I feel their security measures must be all right,” said Julay, a Chinese tourist. 

Once this pilot phase proves successful, the program will be spread to other popular Turkish cities such as Ankara and Antalya. Other international tourist hubs have also shown interest in the program.