I have friends that were in Turkey recently and they also mentioned its not as risky as it seems. Alternate-point: Decline in tourism hurts average people the most. Many people's live in regions especially like Cappadocia depend on the tourism industry. Enabling the people to enable their own prosperity may be another way to see it.

I agree. I happened to have visitedCappadocia and Derinkuyu during the week of the (orchestrated?) coup last summer. It was safe. The tourism companies already took a huge hit, for example at one point we were the only guests in our hotel.

Cappadocia is indeed beautiful, in a unique way. The underground "cities" (villages, really) weren't even my favourite part.

Wow. How is your visit is rewarding a political figure? I am sure local people will appreciate your thoughtfulness.

The majority of the population appear to support Erdogan. I'm not giving Turkey a penny until they return to proper democracy.

Do "the majority of the population" have to run their preferences by you first before they get to exercise their choice?

Is there some approved whitelist of candidates, compiled in Western capitals, that needs to be circulated amongst Turks, so that they can exercise their "democratic rights", as long as its only from that sheet of paper?

An amazing definition of "democracy" you have running in your head.

(I know I replied to you elsewhere, but this gem deserved its own response)

Silly Turks, voting for their own choice of leader, without first taking your opinion on board and going along with that.

Someone needs to educate them about what true "Western sponsored" democracy means, I guess.

Oh wait, thats what that attempted coup was for, right? Oops ...

Most sane observers don't view Erdogan as positive for Turkey. I'm with them. No visit to Turkey until things get a bit less fundamentalist.

I advise you to not to visit any of those asian or latin countries with corrupt, undemocratic administrations. Actually I should advise you to leave US immediately, your presence is rewarding Trump and GOP.

Turkey is a lot more than Erdoğan or his party.

It seems like CNN's opinions/propaganda is shaping your travel activism.

I don't live in the US and consider CNN perhaps the worst of the MSM, so you have me wrong. I've seen a lot of Turkey so probably have more experience than you think - the majority of the population seem to be behind Erdogan so there's no way I'm visiting Turkey until things change.

> the majority of the population seem to be behind Erdogan

Whatever you feel about his policies, this one fact goes against the assertion that he's a dictator.

That, and the slightly inconvenient fact that he keeps winning elections and/or referendums.

Or that the odd hastily-enacted coup gets confronted by the MAJORITY of Turkish civil society.

Or does your definition of democracy = "do what we (Westerners) want, irrespective of the wishes of the MAJORITY of your populace"?

> so there's no way I'm visiting Turkey until things change.

Your loss. I don't anyone there really cares ...

Please tell me whatever carbon-emitting white country you live on to make you think you have the moral superiority over my people?

Finally signed up for a yc account for this. As an American who has lived in Turkey for over half a decade, I offer you an opinion that a) it isn't currently particularly unsafe compared to any European cultural capitol (a credit, in part, to their recently depleted security and intelligence communities), b) Turkey has a multitude of viewpoints with the clearest divide (about 50/50) between conservatives and liberals (sound familiar?), c) visiting Turkey in spite of recent CNN-amplified drama, mostly rewards the people in the tourism industry who have been hurt most by the massive drop in revenue from both terrorism and political instability. Travel and form your own opinions.