Turkish Minister of Culture and Tourism Mehmet Nuri Ersoy was heavily criticized in his country after social media photos show him vacationing in Greece on a luxury yacht, according to Turkish Minute news portal.
The photos were published by the Kısa Dalga website, showing Ersoy aboard a 50-meter yacht anchored at the Zea Marina in Piraeus, Greece. The luxurious vessel is reportedly owned by Ersoy’s tourism company. It is described as a “superyacht” equipped with a jacuzzi, pool and powerful engines capable of speeds up to 34 knots, costing up to €120,000 a week to rent.
The minister claims that he was aboard the yacht to conduct an interview with columnist Ahmet Hakan. However, his critics believe that the trip appears more like a personal vacation than a work engagement.
“While our tourism industry is suffering, the tourism minister is relaxing in Greek waters,” read a post on social media. Others criticized the minister’s choice to vacation in the neighboring country while Turkey has many nice coastal destinations. Members of the governing Justice and Development Party (AKP) also voiced their displeasure. especially at a time when the Middle East is at the brink of a serious conflict.
“With a war on our border, an ongoing massacre in Gaza and a struggling tourism industry, not to mention a high cost of living, it is deeply disturbing to see photos of ministers vacationing on luxury yachts in the Greek Islands,” veteran AKP figure Şamil Tayyar commented on X.
Ahmet Hakan gazetecidir, siyasi sorumluluğu yok.
Mesleki etik açıdan ihtiyaç duyarsa hesabını verir, takdir kamuoyunundur.
Fakat.
Sınırımızda savaş yaşanırken…
Gazze katliamı sürerken…
Turizm sancılıyken…
Hayat bu kadar pahalıyken…Bir bakanın Yunan adalarında lüks yatla… pic.twitter.com/pVhUYdCEik
— Şamil Tayyar (@samiltayyar27) June 20, 2025
The Turkish minister has been in public scrutiny before
This is not the first time that Ersoy became the subject of public discourse. He is the rich owner of a major tour operator since before entering politics and has long faced scrutiny over the potential conflict of interest.
The Turkish minister was criticized before for his response to the January 21st Kartalkaya Hotel fire that killed 78 people and injured 51. The number of victims and the scale of the fire was due to the complete absence of fire safety measures such as smoke detectors, automatic sprinklers, functioning fire alarms and functioning emergency exit lights.
The local Bolu municipality accused the government and the Tourism minister for the lack of inspection. Ersoy, on his part, claimed that only the fire brigade issues fire safety certificates. Later he said that the municipality was responsible for the inspection.
Turkey in Turmoil: Outrage After Opposition Leader Imamoglu Jailed
A few months ago, tens of thousands of protesters took to the streets across Turkey after Ekrem Imamoglu, the mayor of Istanbul and main rival to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, was formally arrested and charged with corruption.
The arrest sparked the worst unrest the country had seen in over a decade, with police deploying tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse crowds. In response, several Western governments, including the UK and Germany, issued travel advisories urging their citizens to avoid areas where protests were taking place, warning that demonstrations could turn violent.