It’s a bright new year and one predicted to bring Turkey a significant rise in tourist numbers according to many of the new year reports and industry specialists. Let’s hope they are correct. Here’s a look at the Turkey tourism news to hit the headlines over the last couple of weeks;
Historical houses of Harran set to become a tourist attraction. (Hurriyet Daily News, January 3rd, 2018)
Sansiurfa’s Harran district is considered to be one of the oldest settlements in the world dating back to 6000 B.C. Currently escaping the tourist radar, the local Municipality is now beginning to restore the conical domed houses, mosque, castle and other structures to attract tourists to the area. They are also building a 25 room hotel to accommodate visitors.
The Basilica Cistern in Istanbul breaks annual tourist numbers (Hurriyet Daily News, January 2nd, 2018)
Despite undergoing an ambitious restoration project, Istanbul’s Basilica Cistern received over a million visitors during 2017, nearly 350,000 more than 2016. The cistern, situated in Sultan Ahmet near the Hagia Sophia, used to supply water to Istanbul during the Ottoman and Byzantine periods and is a fascinating place to visit should you be in the area. Restoration work is due to complete this March.
Tourism Minister expects to see a “full recovery” in tourist numbers in 2018 (Hurriyet Daily News, January 1st, 2018)
Turkey’s Culture and Tourism Minister predicts a return to 2014 numbers during 2018. We reported on this yesterday, see report here.
The number of tourists booking for Turkey up 69 percent says ABTA (Daily Sabah, December 27th, 2017)
Great news! ABTA (Association of British Travel Agents) are saying that the number of tourists booking for Turkey is up 69%! They are quoted saying, “Turkey is bouncing back after some challenging years, offering great value for money holidays in picturesque resorts”. They are expecting Turkey to be a “travel trend” in 2018.
Ecotourism and a return to Turkey predicted as the 2018 travel trends (The Times, December 27th, 2017)
Respected broadsheet The Times ran an article based on ABTA’s predicted trends for the coming year. A rise in responsible travel, yoga and healthy eating cruises for the young, and a return to Turkey are all tipped to be popular in 2018.
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