Risk-assessing
Turkey is complicated because there are many enemies of civilisation, tolerance
and freedom. Perpetrators of terrorist attacks include Isis, Kurdish
separatists and two far-left political factions
Probably
like you, I have a high aversion to mortal risk and a low tolerance of anything
that could harm my family – but I also believe that travel is almost always a
benign and rewarding experience, both for the traveller and for the host
community. So last January, the peak sales month for summer holidays, I booked
a family holiday on Turkey’s glorious southern coast.
One week
earlier, 10 members of a German tour group had died in a suicide bomb attack in Sultanahmet
Square in the heart of Istanbul. Each of those lost lives, taken by an
amateur fascist intent on spreading hate and division, was a tragedy. But set
against the millions who visit Turkey’s largest city each year, and millions
more who holiday on the coast, the chances of coming to harm on a package
holiday to a resort remained extremely low.
Many British
families, however, disagreed. In March, the tour operator wrote to say: “Whilst
Turkey remains a popular destination for UK holidaymakers, in common with other
travel companies, we are seeing lower demand this year.” Our chosen property
was one of several that would remain closed. We ended up in Greece instead, inadvertently contributing to the
collapse of around half of the Turkish tourist economy.
Since then,
mass slaughter has become a regular occurrence. Attacks in Istanbul, the
capital Ankara and elsewhere have claimed hundreds of victims.
A massacre
at Istanbul’s main airport in June killed more than 40 people. Two months
later, even people died in a blast at a wedding in the south-eastern city of
Gaziantep. Inevitably, the former caught the world’s attention – and mine. And
last night, 39 people were shot dead while
celebrating in an Istanbul nightclub. Many prospective visitors to
Turkey will be shocked by a New Year massacre on the shores of the Bosphorus.
Risk-assessing
Turkey is complicated because there are many enemies of civilisation, tolerance
and freedom. Perpetrators of terrorist attacks include Isis, Kurdish
separatists and two far-left political factions.
Without
wishing to diminish the scale of the atrocities in cities near the Syrian
border, I have focused on the chances that places on the tourist trail
will be hit. Istanbul is a great global metropolis. Races and religions
have converged on the city through the centuries, as a hub along the Silk Road
and the Hippie Trail.
Increasingly, though, it looks a shaken, vulnerable
place. People are staying away. Tonight, you can get a luxury room at a top
hotel, the Conrad Istanbul Bosphorus, for £72 – less than the cost of a Premier
Inn in London.
I look
forward to returning to Turkey soon, because the best way to counter
random violence is to assert its futility by not changing your behaviour.
The risks of a holiday in Turkey remain low, with road accidents presenting
more of a danger than deranged gunmen or terror attacks.
This vast
country has welcoming people, a rich heritage. fabulous cuisine and great
beaches. But as millions of British families begin the midwinter search for a
sunny escape, their fears may steer them elsewhere.
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