Anzac tours to continue despite threats to send Aussies 'home in coffins'
Tour companies that take Australians to Gallipoli for Anzac Day say their plans have not been rattled by provocative comments from the president of Turkey.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has told an election rally that Australians with anti-Muslim views would be sent home in coffins like their grandfathers.
He was referencing the WWI battle at Gallipoli, in which thousands of Australian and New Zealand soldiers died fighting the Turks, as he responded to the Christchurch mosque massacres.
Australia’s travel advice to Turkey is under review, despite already being set at “exercise a high degree of caution”, due to the high threat of terrorism.
But tour companies Fanatics and Intrepid say they aren’t planning to cancel their upcoming Anzac Day offerings.
Such controversy is not new, a spokesperson for Fanatics says.
“Each year there always seems to be an issue brought up on the eve of the Gallipoli ceremonies but we are in close contact with DFAT (the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade) and we expect our tours to go ahead without any issues,” they said.
“We have always enjoyed a healthy relationship with our Turkish hosts and have been running tours to Gallipoli for over two decades.”
Intrepid said the safety of its travellers was its first priority, and it expects regular updates from its local operators and Australian authorities.
But it’s not cancelling tours at the moment, and nobody who has signed up to one has done so.
“We do encourage any of our customers who have concerns to reach out to us directly,” Global Product and Operations Manager Jenny Gray said.
