Erkunt ONER has begun his tourism career after receiving the very first official ‘Tourist Guide License’ whilst studying law at Ankara University. In 1964, he completed a Tourism Training Program in Brussels through a bursary offered by the Belgian government. In 1972, he graduated from Universite de Sorbonne with a degree in International Relations.
In 1966, Mr. Oner has founded TURA TURIZM as an inbound and outbound tour operator based in Istanbul. Over the past 50 years, the company has grown significantly to become one of the biggest tour operators in Turkey. Mr. Oner has also owned and managed cruise ships, ferries and hotels of various sizes. He was a lecturer at the University of Istanbul, and an interim lecturer at the Seatrade Cruise Academy in Cambridge in 2012.
Regarded as one of the prominent figures in the cruise industry, Mr. Oner is often consulted by the Turkish Government, leading tourism associations and the press. He is a member of MedCruise, CLIA and TÜRSAB, as well as a Board Member of the Turkish Tourism Investors Association (TTYD). Owing to his vast experience and unparalleled contribution to the industry, Mr. Oner has received the acclaimed “Seatrade Lifetime Achievement Award for Services to Cruising” in 2016 and the coveted “Mare Nostrum - Mediterranean Tourism Forum Lifetime Achievement Award” given by the presidency of Malta in March 2018.