Celebrity Calls Time On Istanbul

Celebrity cruise has announced that it is cancelling all overnight stops in  Istanbul for 2015, on Reflection, Equinox and Constellation, due to security fears at the port.

This follows on from the US Government`s decision to issue a warning against travel to Turkey for its citizens amongst increasing tension and terrorism in the Middle East. The cruise line states that the security of its passengers and crew is  always their priority. If you take a look at itineraries to the region for 2016 you will see a lack of Turkish ports of call already!

So is it safe to visit Turkey ? I`m sure many British families have holidays booked to the beach resorts of Turkey and to the beautiful city of Istanbul, and will be concerned. However the advice of our Foreign Office remains unchanged, meaning that everything is going ahead as normal. We all know how cautious, even nervous, the American`s are when it comes to foreign travel, and maybe this is an overreaction. After all America must be one of the most likely places to be the subject of a terrorist attack, along of course with London.

So how can we be told not to visit other countries when we expect people to come here regardless of any threat, and there have been plenty?

I lived in Egypt for 8 years from around 1996, and during that time there were several  incidents. I will never forget the day our Nile Cruise Boat sailed out of Aswan, along with many others, to be suddenly and quickly turned back into port. No one knew why, the only clue was the arrival of an armed soldier at the back of the boat we later discovered that a Spanish tourist had been shot by terrorists North of Luxor. It was a horrible feeling and the terrible incident at Hatshepsut’s Temple also happened whilst I was in the country.

The shooting of British holidaymakers in Tunisia has been the latest dreadful act, and in these instances the Government has to issue warnings although it is a bit like shutting the stable door after the horse has bolted I always feel, as the place targeted is probably then the most safe in the world to visit.

So the lovely city of Istanbul with its famous Blue Mosque will not be seeing quite so many visitors for the forseable future, what a shame that is. I have a funny feeling that the city will remain safe and it will be a lesser known destination that will be the next target.