The Costa Venezia cruise ship announced in a press release that she canceled her Türkiye program and withdrew from the Turkish market.
The Costa Venezia cruise ship was presented with the news that she would make Istanbul the central port when she arrived and was the largest cruise ship ever to come to Türkiye, about her withdrawal from Türkiye less than four months after she came to Galataport, Costa Group Türkiye representative, Ay Cruise Chairman of the Board Çetin Ay, announced with an announcement titled “Public announcement”.
“We have decided to cancel the projects that we have done and we are planning to do in Türkiye”
In the announcement, it is stated that Galataport has given them obstacles on various issues and that they have decided to cancel the projects they have done and they are planning to do in Türkiye.
Public Announcement
As the President of the German Chamber of Commerce in Türkiye, AY Group’s Chairman of the Board of Directors, and Member of the Board of Costa Group Türkiye, our ship named Costa Venezia, which docked at Istanbul Galataport port on April 28, 2022, under the leadership of AY CRUISE, as a result of the meeting, planning and projecting we have held for more than 2 years. As you know, our ship went down in history when Türkiye and especially Istanbul were designated as the chief port for the first time and as the largest cruise ship ever to come to Türkiye.
As a result of our plans, our cruise ship Costa Venezia began her Istanbul-based Aegean Sea and Mediterranean Tours on April 28, 2022, with the Fly&Cruise system. With this organization that controls 50 percent of the world’s marine tourism, Costa Venezia, which has started Istanbul-based Home-Port tours and the other cruise ships that we plan in the future, our country is advertised in the world, which is certain to rise to a higher class in tourism. And not a penny comes out of our Türkiye’s purse. Every month, approximately 40,000 Rich Tourists with high incomes come to our country from 5 continents by Turkish Airlines. And they stay in the most expensive 5-star hotels. In addition to our agreement for the business supply chains of the ships, food, beverage and other purchases of 3000 items will be made from our country, we have also reached an agreement with our German and Italian partners for the production of new ships in Türkiye and the modernization of the other ships.
Our Türkiye would gain billions of Euros in a short time with these agreements.
Our Türkiye would gain billions of Euros in a short time with these agreements. However, since April 28, 2022, when we started our first voyage, the Government of the Republic of Türkiye Ministry of Tourism, the official and private authorities affiliated with central and local institutions, and the authorities of Galataport, we have not been able to make sense of our company simultaneously and periodically by all the units we have received service from, and until today, as a result of the pressure, intimidation, punishment that I have not encountered in any country in the world, negative returns to our applications and requests prepared by all practices and procedures, repeated trades at exorbitant prices and various blocking policies. We regret to announce that we have decided to stop the investments we have made in Türkiye and the projects that we are planning to do so far. Our statements for the recruitment of 5,600 new personnel are valid. Of course, we will continue to work together with the new personnel that we will hire in our ongoing activities abroad.
“I am being forced to decide to leave my country and never invest in it again”
I apologize to my Italian and German partners for the harassment directed at us. I am being forced to decide to leave my country and never invest in it again. I am only asked to be an expatriate who goes to his country from Germany once a year, spending 3-5 thousand Euros and returning. I am prevented from doing large-scale trading. I tried to bring big projects to my country 4 times, each of which was a Billion Dollar project. And each time I was clearly and unequivocally blocked. I would like to apologize to my German partners and my family for the overt and covert threats and obstructions I have been subjected to.
Sincerely yours…