Regional cruiser increases trips to Turkey despite cancelations

While many cruise companies have canceled their trips to Turkey over security concerns, Eastern Mediterranean-based Celestyal Cruises has increased its number of voyages to the country.  

"We have strong ties [and] relations [with] Turkey and we will strengthen our ties by increasing our trips to the country. For our new ship, Celestyal Nefeli, we have chosen Turkey as the main port," said Celestyal Cruises CEO Kyriakos Anastassiadis during a press meeting in Istanbul. 

With global fears about terrorism influencing travel and tourism, many cruise lines have been eyeing itineraries which do not include Turkey, with some canceling planned port stops in 2016 after a series of suicide bomb attacks in the country. 

"We cannot develop this area without including Turkey, which is the fabric of the region? Over the last three years we have dedicated ships to the Turkish market. We view the security of our clients and our crews as the most important thing. Thanks to great services by local police and authorities, we have absolute comfort and safety about protecting them. As a company, we are committed to offer services in this part of the world. And it is unthinkable for us to exclude Turkey," said Anastassiadis. 

A board member of Karavan Tourism, Celestyal Cruises' representative in Turkey, Gianluigi Baltazzi, said regional companies have chosen to stay and extend their presence in Turkey and the Eastern Mediterranean.  
"One of the most important features of Celestyal is its regionality? [The] Turkish tourism sector has faced serious problems this year due to geopolitical reasons. While several global cruisers leave, regional companies stay and extend. Turkey is a very crucial market for Celestyal? We will operate a ship which is...