3.2 Million Tourists Visited Istanbul

Istanbul Culture and Tourism Directorate announced that Istanbul welcomed 3.2 million foreign tourists in the first six months of 2008.

Number of Foreign Tourist Arrivals To Istanbul
	Istanbul
	2007	2008
January	314.762	357.203
February	361.563	432.019
March	462.047	550.350
April	552.535	582.779
May	586.550	691.454
June	554.267	668.851
TOTAL	2.831.724	3.282.656

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Most of the foreign tourists arriving in Istanbul in 2008 were from Germany (14.9 %), Germans followed by Russians (6.8 %) and French & British (4.8 %), Americans (4,7%).

Istanbul To Host Latino Dance World Championships

ICVB is proud to announce that Istanbul will host International Dance Organization (IDO) Latino Show and Salsa World Championships. Istanbul will also host the Presidium and Annual General Meetings of IDO next year.

ICVB coordinately worked with its member DMC; VIP Mice to bring the event and competed with Tallinn, and Prague for the congress organization and with Milan, and Innsbruck for the competition. ICVB would like to thank Istanbul Governorship and Istanbul Culture and Tourism Directorate for their support to bring these two important events to Istanbul.

The Latino Dance World Championships will bring approximately 1500 of the world’s best dance couples to Istanbul to partake in this mega event. Salsa, merengue, jitterbug, bachata, but also disco hustle, fox, swing and blues will be the dance categories in the World Championship.

Istanbul Hosts Design Festival

This year’s Istanbul Design Week is looking to promote international designers within the expanding Turkish market, as well as promoting the work of Turkish designers to an international audience.

The interior design event, which runs from 16 to 20 October and is organised by Design in Turkey, has so far signed up 60 international design consultancies, though it is still looking for another 20 to get involved.

Exhibiting designers will show their work across three locations around the city’s Golden Horn district: the 8000 m2 main exhibition area at the Old Galata Bridge, the Old Hat Factory area and the Basilica Cistern, which is also being used to display design pieces.

The Kadir Has University will also host festival workshops and conferences.

Italian designers and architects Cibic & Partners are overseeing art direction and display design at the festival.

A spokesman for the company reveals that the Old Galata Bridge will be covered by a tent system evoking the atmosphere of the old oriental markets.

Istanbul Hosted World Kiteboard Championship

Istanbul hosted the fourth leg of the Jim Beam Kiteboard World Championship for the seventh time this year at the Burç Beach in Kilyos between 11-18 July.

Jim Beam continued its support to extreme sports events with “Real Sports, Real Bourbon” slogan. Combining windsurfing with kite flying, visitors of the Burç Beach enjoyed exciting moments with acrobatic moves of surfers.
 
Kiteboarding is simply based on trying to float in the sky and apply aesthetic moves assessing the wind. It needs suitable wind conditions and a steady sea, so the waters around Kilyos are almost perfect for the sport.

Skal Spouses Night Held by The Bosphorus

Skål International Istanbul hosted its annual Spouses’ Night at The Marmara Esma Sultan Mansion on Tuesday night, July 22.

Current and former presidents of Skål clubs of Turkey, members of Skål clubs, President of Skål National Committee; Mr. Salih Çene, presidents of tourism associations and media gathered at a nice Istanbul summer night by the Bosphorus.

Dinner in The Sky Arrives Istanbul

Now, you can literally have dinner above ground in Istanbul by the Bosphorus.

The Belgium-based Dinner in the Sky has hosted events in major cities across the world, including Dubai, Johannesburg, Las Vegas, Paris, and London.

Dinner in the Sky features seating for 22 from a unique perspective - diners eat at a table hoisted up to 55 metre into the air by a crane. Guests are strapped into leather seats, while waiters and waitresses can stand in an aisle at the centre of the table.

This is a unique event meant for anyone who wishes to transform an ordinary meal or meeting into a magical moment with a view above the Bosphorus.

Dinner in the Sky is available for a session of 8 hours. It can be divided or personalized according to the client’s wishes. Dinner in the Sky offers a exceptional visibility for clients thanks to the underneath banner that can be customised with his logotype.

Europe's Biggest Outlet Centre in Istanbul

Europe's biggest "outlet centre" VIA/PORT inaugurates  in Istanbul's Kurtkoy district on August 15th.

In addition to a shopping mall, the centre is comprised of a big amusement park for children, a farm with ponies, an ATV racecourse and a Go Kart field.
 
There is also a market place inside the dome of VIA/PORT, which is a small model of Istanbul's historical Misir Carsisi (Spice Bazaar) and Kapalicarsi (Grand Bazaar).
 
VIA/PORT will comprise of a five-star hotel, a fair complex and a congress centre as well, said Muzaffer Guloz, coordinator of the outlet centre.
 
Guloz said VIA/PORT's construction will cost nearly US$100 million. He also said approximately 400,000 customers are expected to visit the outlet centre every month.
 
VIA/PORT, located at a 5-7 minute distance to Istanbul's Sabiha Gokcen Airport, also aims to attract the attention of tourists, Guloz said.
 

First Water Taxi of Istanbul Starts Service

Water taxi service started in Istanbul on July 25. Speaking at the ceremony, Istanbul Mayor Kadir Topbaş said a total of 4 water taxis would be in service and two of them would start to operate in August. "The water taxis will give service at 27 wharfs.

Istanbul Mayor mentioned that they are also planning to put helicopter taxi into service soon. "We will construct 110 heliports in various districts of the city for the helicopter taxi service," he added.

West Marine Opens Store in Istanbul

West Marine Inc. enters Turkish market by opening its first store in Istanbul. The Watsonville-based retailer of boating supplies and accessories said that the store is part of a multi-store development agreement for Turkey with East Marine Denizcilik & Turizm A.S.

An ardent sailor and industrialist, Mr. Rahmi M. Koç is the Chairman and controlling shareholder of East Marine.
 
Istanbul, located on the Bosphorus Straight straddling Europe and Asia, is surrounded by the Black Sea and the Sea of Marmara, making it an ideal location for a West Marine store, the company said.
 
The new West Marine store in Turkey, located at Kumlar Caddesi No: 8 Kartal, is set to open in July 2008.  It's part of a multi-store development agreement for Turkey.
 
"We view this as a tremendous opportunity to leverage the West Marine brand and expertise with East Marine's international experience," said Geoff Eisenberg, CEO, West Marine. "We believe franchising has enormous potential and we look forward to growing our international sales and presence with our respected partner."
 
West Marine said other locations are being identified along Turkey's Aegean and Mediterranean coasts.

Transit Passengers Tour Istanbul While Waiting for Flights

Turkish Airlines' (THY) transit passengers, who come from abroad and change flights in Istanbul, can tour the city instead of waiting for the next flight at the airport.

THY offers its transit passengers the opportunity to rest at a hotel or tour the historical places of the city with a guide while waiting for their connection flights in Istanbul.
 
In order for the transit passengers to benefit from this opportunity, passengers travelling in business class should have an at least 7-hour waiting period prior to their connection flights, while those flying in economy class should have a waiting period of 10 hours minimum, THY officials said.
 
The "guided Istanbul tour" scheduled for transit passengers start at 8:30 a.m. and 12:00 p.m. every day.