Should Cruise Lines Stop Visiting Ports in Turkey?

Hello and once again welcome to my four-nightly blog.

This week I am asking the question “Should Cruise Lines Stop Visiting Ports in Turkey?

We all know about the unrest in the Eastern part of the Mediterranean, and especially in countries neighboring Syria, like Turkey. So we have a decision to make, do we say no, we will not travel to those countries and risk being caught in the trouble? Or do we travel and think well if it is unsafe the cruise lines will not call their. After all I am sure if it is that unsafe they will not want to travel there either.

A popular port of call in Turkey is Istanbul, Many cruise lines visit here and although their is unrest there they still continue to visit. Should they? Should cruise lines now decide to drop that port of call (among others) and think about the safety of there passengers.

Unfortunately this week we have a confirmed report that at least ten people have been killed in an explosion in a popular tourist area of Istanbul, Turkey.

Fifteen people were also injured in the blast, which occurred in the city’s historic Sultanahmet district, near to the Blue Mosque and Hagia Sophia. Popular tourist attractions when vising.

Turkish officials say a Syrian national carried out a suicide bomb attack.

Most of the victims were foreign, according to Turkey’s deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus. Two of the injured were in a serious condition.

Why put us at risk? Why not take the port of call out of the schedule and replace with immediate effect? Yes we could avoid it ourselves by not travelling, but not everyone reads the paper or switches on the TV the night this is reported, and therefore thinks Istanbul is not at risk, when it clearly is.

It is not just Istanbul, two suicide blasts in the capital Ankara in October killed more than 100 people, while more than 30 people were killed in an attack near the border with Syria in July.

Let me know your opinions, should we avoid the cruise lines that decide to travel where there is trouble? Or should the cruise lines avoid putting the passengers at risk by travelling to such places.