Despite the recent event unravelling in Turkey, Malaysians are still journeying to Istanbul and its surrounding provinces, said Malaysian Association of Tour and Travel Agents (Matta) president Hamzah Rahmat.

"So far, I have not heard of any trip cancellations as flights to Turkey have resumed back to normal. It was a failed coup anyway. Turkey is a must-visit country and I believe they will recover fast from this ordeal," he told Bernama.

However, Hamzah advised Malaysians travelling overseas to travel smart and be alert.

"If you're planning on staying long, it is always advisable to register yourself at the consulate.

"You can also refer to your travel agencies in case of emergencies as they will know what to do and would take all the necessary actions to ensure your safety," he said.

Meanwhile, according to a travel consultant for Eden Tours & Travel, Serene Loong, her clients have not cancelled their already-booked holiday trips to Turkey so far.

"No one has cancelled their bookings. My clients are still going to Turkey in spite of what had happened last week," she said.

Serene also said she had no qualms about Malaysians planning to travel to Turkey and that her travel agency's group trips to provinces such as Istanbul and Izmir are still ongoing.

For Holiday Tours & Travel's outbound tour officer, Cindy Lee, her clients who go on business trips are still booking flight tickets to other destinations via Istanbul as it is a transit city for the affordable Turkish Airlines.

"It all depends on our clients, whether they want to go or not. But for now, we still have clients booking Turkish Airlines flight tickets through us when they go on business trips," she said.

Nevertheless, Cindy said since it is not the season for leisure travellers to visit Turkey this month, the recent event is not too big of a matter for her travel agency.

The Turkish Embassy in Malaysia announced on their website yesterday that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's government, members of the Turkish grand national assembly and the Turkish people all together have defeated the coup attempt on July 15.

Concurrently, the Foreign Affairs Ministry in a statement dated July 17 confirmed that since the attempted coup, the situation in Turkey, though still fluid, is now almost normalised.

Reports indicate that all airports in Turkey have resumed operations.

However, no travel advisories have been issued by both the ministry and the Turkish Embassy as of today regarding Malaysians planning to travel to Turkey.

- Bernama