Istanbul Bulletin

Tourist arrivals to Turkey rose 19.17% year-on-year in June to 3.31 million, the Turkish Culture and Tourism Ministry stated that the number of tourists in the first half of the year rose 16.36% to 10.69 million compared with the same period last year.

Some 16.32% of tourists were from Germany, followed by Russians, which made up 16.04% of foreign visitors. The Mediterranean resort city of Antalya was the top destination for tourists, attracting 38.79% of all foreign arrivals. Turkey's largest city Istanbul was the second most popular destination, attracting 20.23% of foreign visitors.

Izmir is gearing up to host one of the biggest car racing events in the world as it bids to host the A1 Grand Prix in 2009 or 2010.

“It is a dream for Izmir to host the A1 Grand Prix races as of 2009," said Ron Dixon, chairman of D3 Motorsport. Dixon was given responsibility for the design work and the location of the tracks after he submitted an application for Izmir to host the races, which have been run by the International Automobile Federation, or FIA, since 2004.

Izmir is currently a candidate for the Turkey stage of the A1 Grand Prix, the most popular automobile race in the world after Formula 1, according to a written statement by the Izmir Metropolitan Municipality. If Izmir were chosen, the city would host the races in 2009 or 2010, together with the city of Antalya in southern Turkey.

“Having unprecedented beauty with a specific characteristic that should be shared with the whole world, Izmir has nothing less than Monaco or Surfers Paradise in Australia,” he said, adding of the work done thus far, “ We came together with the city leaders to compare notes on Izmir's candidacy for A1 Grand Prix, which I think proved quite useful."

“A1 Grand Prix races, held in 10 or 11 countries every season, are a big chance for Izmir," said Mert Güçlüer, chairman of the A1 Turkish Team. Güçlüer added that along with the participants the host countries also get important tourism and advertising opportunities from the event.

A culinary competition designed to capture the tastes of authentic Ottoman cuisine will take place in Istanbul from August 15th to 17th.

Taking part in the contest will be eleven teams consisting of chefs from the most prominent hotels in Turkey.

Ottoman cuisine has been a culinary culture shaped by the Istanbul elite since the city became the capital of the Ottoman Empire. The competition aims to recall the most refined tastes of the time in order to promote Ottoman tradition and increase its popularity in modern Turkey.

Turkey’s publicity campaigns have been broadcast in 83 countries this year. As the year 2008 was declared the 'Year of Turkish Culture' in Russia, many festivals were organized in the country.

The campaign was not limited to close neighbours. The government also arranged numerous promotional campaigns in Eastern European countries.

This year's advertising campaign to promote Turkey, which has been exported to 83 countries so far, has turned into a veritable blitz. The campaign has filled the streets of cities around the world with news and advertisements praising the quality of Turkish tourism and culture.

In Russia, the focus has been on sea tourism, nature, history, love and Istanbul. The Ukrainian press wrote about “the heaven of Muğla” and a “new meeting place” in Turkey.

The number of visitors coming from Russia, the second-largest is rising every year, and the advertising campaigns, which are considered very successful, are aimed at continuing this growth.

The government also arranged numerous promotional campaigns in the first half of the year in Eastern European countries such as Ukraine, Moldova, Bulgaria, Romania and Poland, as well as in Greece, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Macedonia.

In Ukraine, nine TV channels and 12 newspapers, and in Moldova, five TV channels and four newspapers informed the public about Turkish seas, beaches and wonderful sunny weather. The campaign also distributed information on billboards, on the Internet and through announcements in movie theatres.

The campaign conducted in Poland promoted family holidays and meeting facilities in Turkey. The ads were presented on 15 TV channels and in 15 magazines, as well as on billboards informing people about the culture and history of the country.

The press in Bulgaria, Romania, Greece and Bosnia and Herzegovina featured Istanbul attractions and Efes as a health tourism centre, while media in Macedonia focused on Turkish cuisine and entertainment.

In the eyes of China: ‘antique, blue, and fascinating’

The Turkish campaign is not limited to the country's closest neighbours, but has also reached many other countries, including Japan, China, South Korea, Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, Thailand and India, as well as some of Turkey's Central Asian neighbours, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan.

While in ads in Japan, cultural tourism is emphasized, the advertisements in China present Turkey as an East-West synthesis as visible in Istanbul.

The South Korean press has focused on Cappadocia, Turkish cuisine, the exotic feel of the country, and Istanbul as the meeting place of East and West.

The first six months of the campaign promoting Turkish culture and tourism also took place in the Middle East and North Africa, especially in Egypt, Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia, Dubai, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Syria and Israel.
Source: Turkish Daily News

The 77th Izmir International Fair will host not only economic delegations but also many cultural delegations from many countries including Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, China, France, Cuba, Egypt and Slovakia.

The fair that will be held in Izmir between 22-31 August will host music and dance groups. 700 dancers and musicians from Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, China, Croatia, Spain, Montenegro, Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC), Lithuania, Hungary, Puerto Rico, Romania, Senegal, Slovakia and Ukraine will perform shows in different locations of the city.

The theme of this year's fair will be global warming and climate change. Cuba will be the guest country of honour this year, and there will be beach volley tournaments and yachting competition during the festival.

Izmir International Fair, welcoming almost 60 countries, 1000 companies and 1,5 million visitors every year, provides an environment which domestic and foreign exhibitors promote new technologies and exhibit new products and businessmen meet.

The fair also presents social, cultural events and entertainment as a whole together with its industrial and commercial dimension.

Pratt & Whitney, a United Technologies Corp. company, and its joint venture partner, Turkish Airlines Technic Inc., a subsidiary of Turkish Airlines, broke ground on a new CFM56(R) and V2500 engine overhaul facility in Istanbul.

Once fully operational, the 25,000-square-meter (269,000-square-foot) center is expected to overhaul up to 200 engines annually and employ up to 550 people, many of whom will be from Turkish Technic's highly experienced engine maintenance team.

The groundbreaking took place at Sabiha Gokcen International Airport in the Anatolian peninsula, approximately 70 km east of Turkish Technic's existing engine shop at Istanbul's Ataturk International Airport. The Pratt & Whitney Turkish Technic Aircraft Engine Maintenance Center, LLP, or Turkish Engine Center, is being established to provide maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) services for the CFM56(R) engine family and the V2500(R)-A5 engine to customers located in Turkey, surrounding regions and worldwide. Operational readiness of the center is planned for the second half of 2009.

"The facility's outstanding location, extensive part repair capability and incorporation of Pratt & Whitney's proven engine MRO processes and applications will help customers in the region reduce engine overhaul costs and turnaround times," said Jim Keenan, senior vice president and general manager, Pratt & Whitney Global Service Partners. "This facility will adhere to the highest level of United Technologies Corp.'s ACE (Achieving Competitive Excellence) operating system and the respected standards of the United States Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) rating system."

The facility will be built with up to 20 percent recycled material and use renewable energy sources for a portion of its energy load. In addition, overall water use on the site is expected to be reduced by 40 percent compared with conventional facility designs.

"Sabiha Gokcen International Airport is Istanbul's second international airport and has a great potential for growth. This initiative is in line with our strategy of becoming a preferred, well known, customer-focused maintenance organization providing nose to tail maintenance with exceptional quality and service within its region," said Dr. Ismail Demir, general manager, Turkish Technic.

As airlines flounder under rising fuel costs and a global economic slow-down, Turkey’s tourism sector paints a different picture; not only has it overtaken Spain as No. 1 package destination for Brits, its fastest growing airline, Pegasus Airlines, is increasing frequency on its UK-Istanbul route from September with the delivery of new aircraft. Pegasus Airlines is delighted to announce the launch of new flights on its London-Stansted - Istanbul - Sabiha Gökçen route. Effective 1 September 2008, Pegasus Airlines will initially add one additional flight (Monday) to its current thrice-weekly schedule (Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday). From 1 October 2008, a fifth-weekly flight (Friday) will be added on the same route. These flights will be available to buy online at www.flypgs.com/en

Both flights will depart London Stansted daily at 13.05, arriving in Istanbul at 18.40. The return leg will depart Istanbul Sabiha Gökçen at 10.30, arriving at London Stansted at 12.15.

“By increasing the frequency on our London route, we will be able to offer our valued customers greater choice and flexibility than ever before,” said Ali Sabanci, the airline’s Chairman. “Our customers will be able to enjoy flights five-times per week from October, which will increase our appeal to holiday makers and business travellers alike, who will also benefit from wide availability of quick and easy connecting flights from our Istanbul hub”.

Indeed, with 16 connecting domestic routes across Turkey, Pegasus brings all your favourite holiday destinations within easy reach – and, being outside the Euro-zone, Turkey also offers fantastic value and variety for holidaymakers - from Bodrum and Izmir on the Aegean and the wonders of Cappadocia near Kayseri, to Dalaman and Antalya on the Turkish Riviera...

With prices starting from £40 one-way including taxes and charges, Pegasus Airlines offers comfortable flying at low-cost prices, with its fleet of new aircraft and strong emphasis on service.

Already flying strong in Turkey Pegasus Airlines has become the largest private scheduled airline in the country, flying over 3 million scheduled passengers in 2007 (a 20-fold year-on-year increase), carrying a total of 4.1 million passengers last year.