Cruise operators are starting to avoid Turkey while tour operators are trying to boost bookings for the destination in the aftermath of the Istanbul terror attack.
Several cruise firms have announced they will stop calls at Istanbul and other Turkish ports in reaction to the suicide bombing that killed 10 German tourists on January 12.
German market leader Aida Cruises said it has cancelled Eastern Mediterranean cruises on the Aida Stella this summer after “several thousand” customers said they wanted to change to alternative destinations. Instead, the vessel will take over the seven-day cruises of the Aida Aura starting in Palma de Mallorca from April 30 to October 22, while the latter vessel will offer extra cruises from German ports to Northern Europe destinations.
In addition, Norwegian Cruise Line has cancelled calls in Turkey, affecting about 32 routings. Instead its ships, including those of Oceania Cruises and Regent Seven Seas Cruises, will call in at Athens and Santorin. Similarly, MSC said that the Magnifica, with departures from Venice, will no longer make weekly calls at Istanbul and Izmir but will stop at Athens and Mykonos instead. Luxury operator Crystal Cruises has reportedly decided to change the routing of six cruises, with stops in Greece instead of Turkey.
Meanwhile, German tour operators are still seeing low demand for Turkey in reaction to the Istanbul terror attack. “We’re seeing a shift in demand from east to west,” commented a TUI Germany spokeswoman. “We still expect bookings for beach holidays in Turkey to come in,” added a Thomas Cook Germany spokesman.
In a move to stimulate bookings, Thomas Cook Germany brand Öger Tours, which specialises mostly in Turkey holidays, has broadened its Flex Option, which enables customers to re-book a holiday to an alternative destination up to 10 days before departure. Öger Tours customers can now re-book their holiday to an alternative offer from any Thomas Cook Germany brand. Previously the offer only applied to the offers of each tour operator brand.
“We recommend the Flex Option for all those who want to book their summer holiday now but do not want to commit themselves to a choice of destination or a time for their trip,” said Öger Tours managing director Songül Göktas-Rosati. “Our guests profit from our know-how as a specialist and the largest Turkey programme on the German market. At the same time, they now have the guarantee they can chose from all the destinations offered by Thomas Cook if they want to change their booking.”
Another Turkey specialist, Bentour Reisen, is allowing customers to switch bookings up to 30 days before departure. “We want to offer our customers more planning certainty with the new option,” said managing director Deniz Ugur. Bentour, which had already expanded its summer 2016 programme to new destinations such as Spain, Portugal, Greece and Cyprus to diversify its portfolio, plans to add Bulgaria, Malta, Dubai and Mexico as additional destinations within the next few weeks.
Separately, DER Touristik Group CEO Sören Hartmann has reiterated his call for destinations to improve security measures for tourists following the latest attacks. “Security standards must be improved now,” he told business magazine Wirtschaftswoche. In particular, more video surveillance cameras and more security staff are required in public places, he urged. DER Touristik will actively seek more investment in security from its partners, Hartmann said. “If we regard it as necessary, then we will demand from our partners that there should be more security staff in hotels and on beaches,” he declared.
