Felicity Long
In a recent Insight, I tackled the topic of terrorism in Europe, and while it would be nice to give the subject a rest, I just got back from a Celestyal Cruises trip to Greece and Turkey with my daughter that brought the topic of travel safety back to the forefront of my mind.
The destination at issue wasn’t Greece. During our various ports of call, we found nothing amiss that would deter a visitor from having a great vacation on the various islands.
But our itinerary also included two calls in Turkey — Kusadasi and Cesme, to be exact — and to be clear, we encountered not a single problem in either of these two appealing destinations.
So why bring it up? Because just days after our trip, a suicide bomber in Suruc, a Turkish town on the border of Syria, killed more than 30 people, and since then, Turkey has stepped up its war on ISIS, rounding up suspected terrorists and launching air strikes across the border.
While not making light of the incident, troubles on the Syrian border — as long as they don’t escalate to other parts of the country — would not prevent me from going back to Turkey in a heartbeat with my family. With its rich history, stunning architecture, friendly people and appealing cuisine, the country is one of my favorite destinations.
But my husband, who didn’t join us on the cruise, was concerned about my being so close to a trouble spot, especially with our daughter in tow, and I get it. Even though he’s sophisticated and well traveled, the national news has a way of reporting on scary incidents without supplying context or geographical specifics.
Fans of cruising know that Kusadasi, a Turkish cruise port on the Aegean, is one of the highlights of any Greece and Turkey cruise. It is located more than 900 miles from Syria and is most famous for being the gateway to Ephesus, a stunning 10th century B.C. archeological site that draws some 2 million visitors a year. Kusadasi itself is a sophisticated port with shops and cafes where the biggest concern for tourists is likely to be how to navigate the dizzying array of knock-off designer handbags.
At our other stop, in Cesme, we spent nearly an entire day at an upscale beach club called Sole Mare that was so posh the vibe was more St. Tropez than Middle East.
Locals on the ground whom we met were quick to assuage any fears Western tourists might have about visiting their country. Our guide to Ephesus, for example, introduced the topic himself on our drive to the site by talking up Kusadasi’s growing status as a site for vacation homes, bragging about the beauty of Istanbul and extolling the virtues of other cities and towns along the coast. He also reminded us that while the predominant religion in Turkey is Islam, the country has a proud secular tradition.
Does this mean that nothing scary could ever happen at these destinations? Of course not, but as a resident of Boston, scene of our own recent homegrown terrorism, I am able to put things in perspective. We each have our own level of risk tolerance when it comes to travel, but savvy voyagers — and certainly their travel agents — should know that the scene on Turkey’s Syrian border is dramatically different than anywhere tourists are likely to go. At least for now.