Turkey - security question
 

Anybody been in Istanbul in the last few weeks? If so, any feeling of insecurity, etc. there as a westerner?

Have a business trip there in the first week of March and my wife will be joining me. My wife has some concerns (and I don't want to make the mistake of assuming things are static) so I thought I would ask on FT to get a perspective.

Thanks

Since you haven't received any replies yet: I haven't been to Istanbul in the last few months but I'm pretty sure there's nothing to worry about, other than the usual big city precautions.

Routine big city type crime, followed by a somewhat increased risk of terrorist attacks, have been causing some sense of insecurity; but most of the tourists coming from OECD countries to visit Istanbul have no problem while there, and there is a greater risk of getting killed or injured by a car accident closer to home than by some possible incident in Istanbul.

Thanks for the perspective - we're scheduled to arrive next Sunday for a week. It's a tough balance between being an overly concerned alarmist and being naively ignorant. That's always the problem with low probability events that have significant impacts.

JThe significance of a lot of the impact is barely more than a product of media and politics stirring up an audience inclined to be stirred up even when the actual number harmed/killed and the risk of injury or death are substantially lower from the cause that stirs more worry.

The marginal risks of some risks can be marginalized further by staying in rented apartments, not doing the usual tourist things, avoiding crowded or popular sites and some other such approaches. But then there goes some of the fun of being a tourist.

It is Istanbul.. it's not the Syrian border. Your biggest risk is over paying in restaurants.

This might be a time when it's worth the effort to register with the USA Department of State (website now, so you apparently don't have to contact the local consulate any more). It might make you and wife feel better. If you're concerned, either stay in a low key and more local hotel or stay in a top place with good security. [I've been impressed by the security at the Cirigan (spelling?) Palace, but I haven't been in Istanbul for a while.]

I would say the biggest risk is people (especially kids) asking for money around the tourist sites.

The registering doesn't necessarily make a person any more secure in their person and belongings than they would otherwise be. In some ways it could even increase some risks, even as those risks hitting an individual is akin to encountering a proverbial black swan.

Biggest risk, as almost everywhere in the world (although not including the USA, where gun deaths I believe marginally 'win') is getting killed in a car accident.

I was there last month... as safe as it's always been.

Thanks. We're leaving tomorrow and pretty comfortable with going. Only asked the question as more info is better than less. Thanks everyone for input. I'll update with my impressions when I get there or back.

Hope you have a great trip and please do report back when you get home.

OP: To increase security, have your wife be escorted by a reputable guide. He/She will know where to go and what to avoid. I used Arif Yasa, and was very pleased.

Good idea.. if you were visiting Kabul or Erbil.. but Istanbul.. come on.. Do not exaggerate! It's a modern western city.

Yes it is. But it is a city of 14 million people. I wouldn't want my wife walking around any city without a local resource. No offense intended to Istanbul or its people.

Does that go for her visits to large metro areas in the US too?

I see lots of female tourists wandering around Istanbul by themselves, in pairs or small groups. It's not that dangerous, at least compared to US metro areas; it's also not as safe as Singapore.