Paraguay Istanbul Honorary Consul and Chairman of Honest Holding, Cengiz Deveci, stated that tourists coming to Turkey from all over the world will now be transported by a Turkish company. “With the M/V Gemini ship, we entered into competition with the Greek companies that dominate the Aegean in tourist transportation. The currencies will remain in our country.”
Deveci, who is also the Honorary Consul of Paraguay in Istanbul, stated that they have acquired the ship “M/V Gemini” belonging to Miray Cruise Line.
Deveci stated that they are continuing their preparations for the 2022 summer season with the decrease of the effect of the new type of coronavirus (Kovid-19) pandemic. “With the M/V Gemini ship, we entered into competition with the Greek companies that dominate the Aegean in tourist transportation. The currencies will remain in our country.”
Deveci pointed out that Greek companies are dominant in the touristic shipping sector and stated that the tourists coming to Turkey from continents such as South America and Asia are transported by Greek companies and they provide a large foreign currency inflow to their country.
“We became a partner in the market share in the Aegean and Mediterranean”
Noting that they are partners in the market share in the Aegean and Mediterranean with their new investments, Deveci made the following assessment,
“With our new ship, we are ending the Greek hegemony in the region. Tourists from all over the world will now be transported by a Turkish company. Thanks to our ship belonging to Miray Cruise Line, which will depart from Çeşme Port and supported by national and local capital from Turkey, the foreign currency will stay in Turkey instead of Greece.”
Deveci pointed out the importance of tour operators and agencies in terms of holiday organization and noted that,
“When the tourists complete their tour in Turkey with our ship, even if they go to the Greek Islands to visit, they will still have to return to Turkey. Thus, tourists will spend more time in our country and leave more foreign currency. Despite the serious injuries to ship and aircraft transportation during the pandemic period, we turned the crisis into an opportunity. We have created a serious marketing network both at home and abroad. We aim to increase the attractiveness of Turkey tours and to introduce our country at the same time. Our ship will carry out its activities in Latin America and the Gulf countries during the winter months as well as in Turkey during the summer months.”
Deveci stated that they continue their activities with one ship and stated that they plan to add 3 more ships to their structure by 2024.
Deveci stated that they aim to host 25 thousand tourists a year. “A tourism income of 50 million euros will be generated annually for the country’s economy. It is expected that 25 thousand people will use these tours annually.”