Is Turkey safe for Tourist?

[2910car]

Our cruise goes to Israel, Greece (among other ports) and Ephesus is the only port in Turkey. I am actually more leery of Israel although I have been told it is very safe for tourists. I believe Ephesus is not near any terrorist activity. Is that correct? In any case we have decided to take only ship tours on this cruise. I think that will make me feel more comfortable.

[Pet Nit Noy]

I do appreciate the "dose of reality" that you provide on the forums. As aa American citizen, I will try to give you an idea of what we hear at home. On the news every day, we hear news of ISIS beheading people, kidnapping people, battles, etc. The info we hear about Turkey is usually that it is a transit area for those joining ISIS.

 

I'm an American citizen, too. I started to write "I know what you're hearing" except I don't. The front page of the online Washington Post is not filled with daily news about these most extreme incidents. And when the articles appear, I doubt the locations have been either of your destinations. There are no battles taking place among the ruins in Ephesus or in down town Istanbul, your presumed destinations.

 

Here's what may help you and your freaked out family. Please look at the size of Turkey. Show your family how far you will be from the places of legitimate worry. Now, nothing in this world is guaranteed. We'll all be shocked and horrified if the ISIS violence does spill into the areas we've previous viewed as safe. But the rational conclusion based on the current state of affairs is that the tourist destinations of Turkey remain glorious destinations for a visit.

[Hlitner]

What also amazes me about these type of threads is that the question is almost always is initially asked by a north American. It makes me wonder what their governments are telling people about foreign travel?

 

We agree (although we are North Americans). The problem is less about our government and more about the media. And when you couple this with the limited international travel experience of many in our country you get these kind of magnified concerns. If 5 tourists are killed in Istanbul it makes the front page of the papers and is the lead story on the evening news. But the fact that 10 people might have been shot in Chicago that same day is ignored.

 

We live in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico for about 2 months a year (totally love the place). A majority of Americans would not go to Mexico and many would think we are nutz for living in such a high crime country. The fact that Puerto Vallarta has a crime rate below nearly every similar size US city is lost on these folks because they are bombarded with news stories about murders in Mexico. It would be similar to telling Europeans to avoid visiting the USA because of the crime rate in Detroit. The irony is that the same cruiser who avoids places like Puerto Vallarta (because of safety concerns) or Turkey do not question visiting St Thomas where the crime rate is much much higher. Go figure.

 

Hank

[hawkeyetlse]

Our cruise goes to Israel, Greece (among other ports) and Ephesus is the only port in Turkey. I am actually more leery of Israel although I have been told it is very safe for tourists. I believe Ephesus is not near any terrorist activity. Is that correct? In any case we have decided to take only ship tours on this cruise. I think that will make me feel more comfortable.

The victims at the Bardo Museum were all on ship tours. :( Ephesus is a place with a high concentration of Western tourists, and it has major significance for Western culture/history/religion. If ISIS could destroy Ephesus and kill all the tourists visiting that day, they would do it in a heartbeat. But this is true of thousands of other sites around the world, all of which are on the terrorists' to-do list. The odds are in your favor, that's really the most anyone can say.

 

If you believe the people who tell you that Israel is "very safe for tourists", then let me assure that Turkey is also "very safe for tourists".

[cruisemom42]

As aa American citizen, I will try to give you an idea of what we hear at home. On the news every day, we hear news of ISIS beheading people, kidnapping people, battles, etc. The info we hear about Turkey is usually that it is a transit area for those joining ISIS.

 

 

I see an article on the news almost every day about ISIS smuggling terrorists into Italy, etc, even news from top Libyan officials that the attack will be in weeks...and these are multiple articles almost daily. It is difficult to not be scared.

 

Are these reliable news sources -- those with credibility, people on the ground in a position to know? Because I had a look at some links you posted in another thread, and some of them were not -- to my mind -- verifiable news, but rather things designed to cause fear and anxiety.

 

I am a journalism major who was at one point working for a news organization. Too often since the advent of the internet, I find people aren't sure whether they are reading "news" or "propaganda" of one sort or another. (And yes, Americans are just as guilty of creating it as are other countries....)

[angeleyes27]

We are taking a private tour in Ephesus if our cousin from Istanbul is unable to meet us. Her baby is due in 2 week so I think she will probably not make the trip from Istanbul. I get my news from the internet...CNN, CBS, Fox, NBC, ABC, etc and also read several papers online. The news about Libya prime minister was in the Washington Times on Friday, then we heard anout the bombing in Istanbul as well and the Italian coast guard using Marines now and yesterday was about Syria president saying about ISIS is growing and Boco Harem, part of ISIS now, beheading more people. Don't forget that in NJ, we live close to the 9-11 bombing site and the Boston Marathon trial is on now which keeps terrorism fears fresh in our minds. Detroit is on a list of most dangeeous cities in the world along with Syria. I don't get the Caribbean thing but I think it is because the crime rates there are not on the news almost never or you have to dig to find them. I know people who have been to Israel, although not recently.

[angeleyes27]

Here are links to the stories that I have read..just the past couple days.

These are statements by the Libyan ambassador.

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2015/mar/25/inside-the-ring-islamic-state-likely-to-attack-ita/

This is from International Business Times about building up forces in the Mediterranean because of concern of the ISIS threat.

http://www.ibtimes.com/isis-europe-italy-bolsters-military-presence-mediterranean-against-threats-north-1853770

From CNN:

http://edition.cnn.com/2015/03/20/world/isis-expansion/index.html?eref=edition

Assad was on 60 Minutes, I believe talking about ISIS growing at an alarming rate. I read it last night but can't find the link.

These are just from the past week. In my previous post, I gave links to all the other headlines. I have never been afraid as I have been lately. And as I am sitting typing this, the news (which my husband is listening to while eating) is on in the background talking about ISIS.

I will restate that I am not afraid of being in a different culture and I enjoy meeting different people, but when you hear about ISIS stealing a boat in the Mediterranean so that the coast guard must arm itself, it is scary.

http://www.breitbart.com/national-security/2015/03/01/italian-coastguard-arms-itself-to-defend-against-isis/

http://www.cruiselawnews.com/2015/02/articles/terrorism-1/experts-isis-poses-terrorist-threat-to-cruise-ships-in-mediterranean/

Here is about crime to cruise passengers in the Caribbean. Not sure how reliable this guy is. He is a lawyer...lol.

http://www.cruiselawnews.com/2014/04/articles/crime/top-10-most-dangerous-cruise-destinations-in-the-world/

[cruisemom42]

I get my news from the internet...CNN, CBS, Fox, NBC, ABC, etc and also read several papers online. The news about Libya prime minister was in the Washington Times on Friday, then we heard anout the bombing in Istanbul as well and the Italian coast guard using Marines now and yesterday was about Syria president saying about ISIS is growing and Boco Harem, part of ISIS now, beheading more people.

 

It's not my intent to get into any kind of politics here, but just as an example, the Washington Times is an extremely conservative paper which a noted historian in 2008 called: "a propaganda sheet whose distortions are so obvious and so alien that it puts one in mind of those official party organs one encounters when traveling in authoritarian countries."

 

Others have called its editorial policies "rabidly anti-Arab, anti-Muslim."

 

I personally read the article you reference above and -- to say the least -- I think it is a huge stretch from equating the Tunisian terrorist attack with the possibility of Libyans loading up a supposedly unaccounted-for aircraft with explosives and somehow crashing it somewhere in the city of Rome.

 

We need to react intelligently and rationally to the wild stories that tend to circulate at times like these. That includes looking for those in a position to give reasoned statements and factual accounts.

 

I lived an hour from Manhattan just previous to 9/11. I heard a lot of the rumors and crazy stories circulating at the time from folks still living there. But one has to continue on and use the brains we were given not to believe every cockamamie thing that gets posted on the internet.

 

(P.S. The cruise law news guy is well known for his anti-cruising bias and willingness to hype even the smallest thing.)

Edited March 30, 2015 by cruisemom42

[angeleyes27]

But the paper quotes the Libyan ambassador? Wouldn't that mean that he is a person of authority about the situation and why would the Italian coast guard be arming its coast guard and beefing up security if they did not feel that there was a threat? And why would someone state that the Mediterranean is the powder keg..and they are just trying to predict when it will happen, not if? I don't think I am stupid and last time I checked, I had a brain, but I know nothing about the journalism field. Not trying to be difficult, but just trying to sort this out.

[angeleyes27]

I didn't mean to sound sarcastic when I said last time I checked, I had a brain, but I am just very confused about all these reports.

[Granny DI]

My husband and I have lived and worked all over the world. I've even had to have a body guard in some places along with armed guards at our homes. We are not naive travelers. We tried to visit Turkey for years but some terror incident would happen and our itinerary would be changed. We visited Turkey last October and loved the country. We felt safe but as I said in an earlier post uneasy at times. We don't plan to visit the Mediteranean area until things calm down a bit.

[cruisemom42]

But the paper quotes the Libyan ambassador? Wouldn't that mean that he is a person of authority about the situation and why would the Italian coast guard be arming its coast guard and beefing up security if they did not feel that there was a threat? And why would someone state that the Mediterranean is the powder keg..and they are just trying to predict when it will happen, not if? I don't think I am stupid and last time I checked, I had a brain, but I know nothing about the journalism field. Not trying to be difficult, but just trying to sort this out.

 

Sure -- but did you notice that some of the remarks attributed to him came from a December speech?

 

And did you also notice that the paper stated he is "considered a top candidate to lead Libya’s next interim government," and "has been visiting Washington this week to lobby for Western support in the battle against the Islamic State and to warn about the danger of terrorist attacks."

 

Of course he is going to make it sound as bad as possible -- he is looking for support (e.g., money).

 

 

-----

 

No one is going to argue with the fact that ISIS is a terrible organization, that its numbers are increasing, and that it is dangerous. People are right to be concerned. But threats need to be kept in perspective.

Edited March 31, 2015 by cruisemom42

[LondonTowner]

Whilst I agree with some of the comments made regards places being safe or unsafe. I am sure you all realise we also get a lot of sensationalism news in the British and European media. Obviously some of it is true and shocking, but no cruise ship or tour operator is going to knowingly go anywhere near a place ISIS is operating.

 

Many of these dreadful instances happen out of the blue, like the shooting in Tunis. Nobody could have predicted it was going to happen. Then we have the terrible plane crash over the Alps last week, caused by a mentally disturbed co pilot.

 

You are probably more likely to get knocked over by a car in your local vicinity than be involved in a terrorist attack or similar incident.

 

If I had any doubt or uncertainty in going somewhere, well, I just wouldn't go. There are so many interesting places to visit that it is certainly not worth going somewhere you are going to feel anxious. Myself and OH went for two consecutive years to Luxor, which we loved. We would like to return to Egypt, but feel that it is still volatile. We would want to go to Cairo, Alexandria and Aswan on a land trip, but would still visit on a cruise.

 

You just have to be sensible and realistic about these things and don't believe too much you read in the papers or hear on the news. Oh, and BTW we don't live under a permanent blanket of fog in London!

[daviduk]

We are going to Istanbul in August. The latest piece Ive read is here:

 

http://eurotravelmag.com/current-edition/is-istanbul-safe/

 

I think, as others have said, that safety is a relative concept and nowhere is going to be risk free, but having said that, there are similarities between Turkey and Tunisia and what happened in Tunisia could conceivably happen in Turkey. But would I cancel my cruise? No, but we might be more cautious about where we visit than might otherwise be the case.

[Granny DI]

We are going to Istanbul in August. The latest piece Ive read is here:

 

http://eurotravelmag.com/current-edition/is-istanbul-safe/

 

I think, as others have said, that safety is a relative concept and nowhere is going to be risk free, but having said that, there are similarities between Turkey and Tunisia and what happened in Tunisia could conceivably happen in Turkey. But would I cancel my cruise? No, but we might be more cautious about where we visit than might otherwise be the case.

 

 

This is an excellent article. So many factions in Turkey right now. Istanbul seems to be the center. My advice is to hire a local guide. Ours kept us away from the demonstrations and the "troubles".

[Granny DI]

Massive power outage just reported in Turkey. Airports closed etc.

[Granny DI]

Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said he couldn't rule out the power outage was a terror attack. As I said earlier lots of different factions in Turkey right now.

[angeleyes27]

Our cousin from Istanbul notified us of it this morning. She is getting ready to have her baby in about 10 days.

[UKBayern]

Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said he couldn't rule out the power outage was a terror attack. As I said earlier lots of different factions in Turkey right now.

 

Yo do know that the government is using the power outage for its own gain. And in that culture it is loss of face to admit that bad maintenance/politics etc has anything to do with it. There was no terror attack.

Edited April 1, 2015 by UKBayern
typo

[Granny DI]

I agree. A lot of infrastructure money has gone to build the new palace as Erdogan thinks of himself as a sultan. The government tries to blame others for its problems. They usually blame the Kurds or the anti government forces. We'll see whom they blame this time. Glad I wasn't in Istanbul yesterday! First blackout in 15 years. I wish we had visited Turkey 20 years ago....

[lanceholt]

This is an excellent article. So many factions in Turkey right now. Istanbul seems to be the center. My advice is to hire a local guide. Ours kept us away from the demonstrations and the "troubles".

 

We hired a private guide and driver from Ekol last year for 2 days and will do the same in Oct on our one day port visit. Not because of fear at all, but the best way to enjoy. However This article is the best I have seen yet. It will be interesting to see if our State Dept in the US will issue a cautioor statement. More demonstrations yesterday along with hostage taking and killing in the Istanbul court.

 

The above advice is good. If we were going today we would have no hesitation, but that part of the world is in flux right now. Istanbul is truly a wonderful place.

[cruisemom42]

Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said he couldn't rule out the power outage was a terror attack. As I said earlier lots of different factions in Turkey right now.

 

Investigation has now shown the outage was not due to any type of terror attack. (Not that anyone seriously thought it was.....)

[angeleyes27]

My cousin who lives there for about 8 years said that she felt safer there than Detroit and the crime rate is low. The country has always been progressive. However, with this Erdogan things are going backward and things have become more fearful. She said that the people are trying to rebell against losing their Western freedoms but she said people including her are worried about the direction that he is taking the country. I notice Turkey has been stopping more Brits trying to cross into Syria since those 3 schoolgirls.

[angeleyes27]

She also said that now her and her husband would like to come back to the US but their jobs are specialized and it woukd be difficult to find work in the US. They are both US citizens.

[Gourmet Gal]

http://www.cnn.com/2015/03/30/world/turkish-airlines-plane-diverted/

 

http://www.irishtimes.com/news/world/middle-east/woman-carrying-grenades-killed-near-istanbul-police-hq-1.2161583

 

Things seem to be heating up in Turkey with multiple incidents in the last few days. It mostly seems to be related to the fundamental Islamic leanings of the current government. I am sure it is a beautiful country but now I have to decide if I want to contribute to the economy of the current regime with my tourist dollars. Final payment on my upcoming cruise is due in a month or so and I am having second thoughts. My return flight is on Turkish Air which has had 3 bomb threats and diverted flights in as many days.