HUNDREDS of Australians and New Zealanders gathered at Gallipoli yesterday for the annual ANZAC Day services, but figures have dropped dramatically since the ANZAC centenary was marked in 2015, operators have confirmed.
Mat McLachlan Travel Group Reservations and Operations Manager Rosanna Frisina attributed the decline to security concerns, but urged “there is currently no reason to avoid travel to Turkey”.
“We are consistently in touch with our reliable ground operator and like us, their prime concern is the safety of our passengers.”
She emphasised there were increased security measures in place in surrounding areas for the days before, during and after Anzac Day and that the Department of Veteran’s Affairs also has a local presence.
She told Travel Daily the company’s ANZAC traveller numbers have “grown each year since 2016 and we have continued to see a positive increase in demand since the Australian Government reduced the travel warning for Turkey late last year”.
Sun Island Tours GM John Polyviou told Travel Daily “there was such a buzz leading up to the 100th anniversary, it’s safe to assume that many people who were travelling for Anzac travelled then”.
He recommended agents book with a licensed travel wholesaler in Australia, and suggested clients who may be apprehensive about ANZAC travel could head to North Beach, as the dawn service is held on a different day.
Source: traveldaily