TURKEY
big chains to small boutique hotels in quiet fi shing villages.
What’s new Atlasjet launched fl ights from Stansted to Istanbul’s Ataturk Airport in May this year – just 30 minutes to the centre – and from November this will be a daily fl ight. It is the only airline fl ying this route and the only one to offer a dedicated business class (
www.atlasjet.com) The fi rst le Meridien hotel opened in March in Istanbul overlooking
the Bosphorus – 34 storeys that gradually become
transparent as they rise
towards the sky. www.
lemerdienistanbuletiler.com Hilton Worldwide has announced
four new hotels in Turkey – at Kusadasi, Samsun, Istanbul and Malatya (
www.hilton.co.tr) Within a year, Istanbul’s Ataturk Airport will double its capacity to 70 aircraft an hour with a fourth runway. A new terminal opened in May at Bodrum’s Milas airport with a capacity of fi ve million passengers. Turkish Airlines has increased the number of fl ights between Gatwick and Istanbul, fl ying 14 times a week since May (
www.turkishairlines.com) Pegasus Airlines has launched
62 January 2013 •
www.sellinglonghaul.com
twice-daily fl ights to Istanbul and beyond from London. www.fl ypgs. com while Jet2 has launched new fl ights to Bodrum from Glasgow and increased the number of fl ights from Leeds to both Bodrum and Dalaman (
www.jet2.com) Nobel Prize-winning author Orhan
Pamuk has opened his Museum of Innocence in Istanbul (www.
masumiyetmuzesi.org) Prestige has added the ‘Design Hotel’ Hillside Su Resort near
Antalya and the HIlton Bodrum to its brochure. Nicky Shafe, Marketing Manager,
comments: “The Hillside Su is located on a Blue Flag beach and offers free access to Aqualand next door making it very attractive to the family
market. It also has a fabulous spa.
The Hilton Bodrum is an all-inclusive property offering a great choice of activities and will also appeal to those travelling with children.”
Tourism talk “Turkey is one of the fastest developing tourist destinations in the world, sixth in terms of foreign arrivals. There has been a spectacular 50% increase in visitor numbers over the last fi ve years and we expect to see further growth in 2013. By the end of this July Istanbul will have seen over fi ve million visitors, a year- on-year increase of 16.1%.
Where to book it PRESTIGE HOLIDAYS – 01425 480400
www.prestigeholidays.co.uk A seven-night stay is from £696pp at the Kempinski Hotel, Barbaros Bay, B&B, with fl ights from Gatwick to Bodrum, private taxi transfers and full representation in resort included. This includes a saving of £80 per couple per week for April departures.
Contact TURKISH CULTURE & TOURISM OFFICE
4th fl oor 29-30 St James’s Street, London; SW1A 1HB; 020 7829 7778;
info@gototurkey.co.uk www.goturkey.co.uk
Clockwise, from top left: Kalnica in Istanbul; one of Istanbul’s many beautiful mosques; sailing by the
Turquoise coast; Oludeniz, also on the Turquoise coast
“Next year, the Tourism Ministry will place a special focus on culture and history and will continue to carry out marketing and road shows/ workshops as well as family trips, jointly with tour operators. By 2023, exactly 100 years since the founding of the modern Turkish Republic, Turkey aims to have at least 50million visitors annually.” Tolga Tuyluoglu, Director, Turkish Culture and Tourism Offi ce UK
Ask the operators “Turkey has without doubt benefi ted from the eurozone’s problems. Despite the longer fl ight, it has eclipsed other destinations in terms of value for money and its geographic location gives it a certain mystique.” David Skillicorn, General Manager of Prestige Holidays
BAZAAR TIME ON THE BOSPHORUS BY ANNA SELBY “One of my favourite cities is Istanbul and I have been a regular visitor for the last 15 years. I was very glad on my first trip to have the luck to stay in the Sultan Ahmet area of town – full of small hotels for those on a budget, as well as grander ones. This is right in the centre of the city and it means you can walk to almost all of the main sights, including the Blue Mosque, Aya Sofya and the Topkapi Palace. There are lesser known sights, too – my favourite is the Basilica Cistern, an extraordinary subterranean structure, wonderfully lit and very cool on a hot summer’s day. There are great cafes and restaurants along the Bosphorus and I’d recommend an evening cruise out on the water. And the absolute must is a visit to the Grand Bazaar where there are just three rules – haggle, haggle and haggle.”
selling tip There’s loads to explore
away from the beaches and some fantastic luxury hotels, not least a cave hotel in Cappadocia!
LAURA GELDER
LAURA GELDER
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