It’s been an interesting couple of weeks in the press. We missed last weeks round up due to Bayram holidays but now, back to work, here’s a little round up of our top Turkey Tourism News picks from the last couple of weeks:
Serdar Bilgili, a photographer and property developer, promotes Istanbul in the Economist (Sept 5th, 2017)
Respected real estate developer and photographer Serdar Bilgili is promoting the city he loves, Istanbul, in rather a unique way. He has plastered stunning images of residents local to one of his Nisantasi building sites across the temporary covers of his building site. His work, portraits and images covering the 67-meter high building, are now under consideration for entry into the Guinness Book of Records as the largest outdoor photo exhibition. It is Serdars hope that onlookers and new visitors to the area will see Nisantasi in a new light through its wealth of colourful characters.
Turkey Home enter a video into the UNWTO Tourism Video Competition (TNTWorld September 9th, 2017)
Turkey’s wonderful Ministry of Culture and Tourism have produced some fabulous work and video footage since they set up the Turkey Home campaign back in 2014. We have featured their videos in the past and received a great response. Their latest video “Home of Poetry” took four months to film and showcases many tourism destinations in the country including Isparta, Bursa, Malatya, Antalya, Mugla, Izmir, Mardin and Istanbul to name but a few.
The short, three and a half minute film is about the memories of a book lover reminiscing over family holidays he took in Turkey. The commentary features Turkish poetry by Ahmet Hamdi Tanpinar, Yahya Kemal Beyatli and others. It depicts the beauty, cuisine, culture, art and history of the country.
Take a look at the video below. The competition has more than 60 international entries so far and will close on September 22nd. It would be great to see “Home of Poetry” win. Please vote for the video online here.
Roman Sarcophagus of Hercules returning to Turkey (Hurriyet Daily News, September 11th, 2017)
The priceless Roman sarcophagus of Hercules, stolen and smuggled abroad more than 50 years ago, is returning to Antalya on September 13th from Geneva. Depicting the 12 labours of Hercules, a Swiss public prosecutor ordered its return following many years debate over where it should remain. Dating back to the end of the second century, the Turkish Ministry of Culture and Tourism are excited by its imminent return that is sponsored by Turkish Airlines.
More than a million Turkish tourists holidayed in Turkish resorts during the Bayram break (Hurriyet Daily News, September 7th, 2017)
More than 1 billion Turkish Lira ($292 million) in tourism revenue was made during the extended 10 days Bayram holiday according to a recent Hurriyet report. Many hotels saw 100% occupancy levels, a welcome boost for hoteliers. The head of TURSAB (Turkish Travel Agencies Association) said that the Antalya regions of Side, Manavgat, Belek and Kemer were favourites alongside Fethiye, Didim, Bodrum and Marmaris.
Turkey’s Economy up 5.1% for Second Quarter (Hurriyet Daily News, September 11th, 2017)
Latest Statistics from TurkStat (Turkish Statistical Institute) have shown a 5.1 percent economic growth according to Hurriyet Daily News today. This again should go some way to boost confidence in investment in the country.
Turkey is now one of the leading countries for Halal tourism (Daily Sabah, September 10th, 2017)
The Daily Sabah ran a feature yesterday on the growth and popularity of ‘Halal Concept’ resorts and hotels in Turkey. There are more than 20 ‘halal’ hotels in Antalya alone and a growing number in most popular destinations along the coast.
The lengthy article quotes a marketing representative from HalalBooking.com saying “Turkey and Antalya-Alanya particularly, are the world’s leading destination for halal beach resorts with more than 20 dedicated to halal-conscious travellers. Turkey’s halal beach resort sector has become a worldwide success and tens of thousands of guests from more than 70 countries have booked their stays in one of these hotels through our website so far“.
Here in the resorts around Fethiye, where you hardly knew of halal concept hotels a few years back, we have seen many spring up over the past five or so years. In Hisaronu and Ovacik alone, there are now a range of resorts aimed at the market. It is obviously a growth sector and one proving popular with foreign Muslims as well as Turks holidaying during the summer season.
Support planned for expansion of Boutique Hotels in Turkey. (Daily Sabah, September 4th, 2017
As part of Turkey’s ongoing efforts to rank as one of the top 10 tourist destinations again by 2023, the government are exploring ways to assist the expansion of the boutique and smaller/hostel hotels rather than the all-in and five-star resorts.
Turkey is looking at Spain as an example. A country where the small hotel market accounts for around 70% of the countries $60 billion annual earn from tourism. The report suggests that ministers are now exploring new ways to ease regulations and help home and land owners convert premises into commercial concerns.
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