Australians planning to travel to Turkey for Anzac Day told to await further advice from DFAT

RSL boss says Turkey comments after Christchurch provocative as possible upgrade of travel advice for Anzac Day pilgrims looms.

Crowds of Australians and New Zealanders gather at Anzac Cove in Gallipoli for the Anzac Centenary dawn service in 2015.

The acting head of the RSL says it would “appalling” if Australians felt too threatened to visit Gallipoli next month after incendiary comments from Turkey’s president.

RSL interim chairman John King said Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s threat to send Australians “back in coffins like their grandfathers” made in the wake of the Christchurch attacks were hateful and extremist.

Australians visiting Turkey are already being warned to exercise a “high degree of caution” and the travel advice is currently under review.

“It would be appalling for Australians to feel threatened if they wish to visit Gallipoli to pay

their respects,” Mr King said.

“Our ANZACS fought against exactly the sort of hate and extremism these comments

represent.

“The President’s comments are provocative and intolerable at a time when we should all

unite to disavow radicalism.”

The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade’s advice for Turkey is already set at “exercise a high degree of caution” and to avoid some areas of Turkey due to the high threat of terrorism.

Tour operators taking Australians to Gallipoli next month are already dealing with the fallout of President Erdogan’s comments over recent days.

But operators are hoping thousands of Australians will still go and pay their respects to the Anzacs at the shores of Gallipoli despite the diplomatic row between Australia and Turkey’s President.

Security has been tightened and attendance has dipped since the centennary of the Gallipoli campaign in 2015 but approximately 1300 people still attended the Anzac Cove dawn service last year.

Popular operator The Fanatics said it expects its tours to “go ahead without any issues.”

The Anzac dawn service memorial service at Anzac Cove last year. Picture: Bradley Secker

“We have always enjoyed a healthy relationship with our Turkish hosts and have been running tours to Gallipoli for over two decades,” a Fanatics spokeswoman said.

“Each year there always seems to be an issue brought up on the eve of the Gallipoli ceremonies but we are in close contact with DFAT and we expect our tours to go ahead without any issues.”

Mat Mclachlan from Battlefield Tours said it was anticipating a number of calls from worried people who have booked upcoming ANZAC tours. “I think it’s all hot air,” Battlefield Tours operator Mat Mclachlan told The Australian.

“His comments are certainly not related to the way the Australians and New Zealanders are received in Turkey.”

The tour company will take at least 200 travellers to the Gallipoli service this year but he acknowledged tighter travel warnings in the past have put a “dampener” on the amount of people travelling to the ANZAC Service.

“One of the things that makes Gallipoli so special is there is no animosity between the Turkish and Australian people ... People have a very shared spirit of remembrance and commemoration,” Mr Mclachlan said.

Mr Mclachlan said the company had to remove Istanbul from their tour itinerary in the past in response to the government’s advice but doesn’t anticipate this will happen in the lead up to ANZAC day next month.

“I think if someone was timid about travelling to Turkey the president’s comments would be enough to persuade them to go,” he said.

DFAT currently advises Australian tourists to avoid the Turkish-Syrian border, have a “high degree of caution” in the capital of Istanbul and reconsider travelling to the country’s south-east.

Gallipoli is in the south-west and not listed in the current travel advice.

Recent ANZAC Day Gallipoli ceremonies have also coincided with a number of bombings in Turkey, including a terrorist attack in 2015.