A recently-launched tour holiday promises to take visitors on a 16-day trip tracing Turkey’s rich history. Albatross Travel Group’s Grand Tour of Turkey takes in landmarks of the past civilisations which occupied the country, such as the Romans, Greeks, Ottoman Turks and Anzacs. The main focus of the trip, which starts and ends in <a href=”http://www.nirvanainternational.com/tourist_areas/istanbul.php”…

Britain’s ex-pat community is thriving in the stylish meditarranean yachting town of Kalkan and is having a positive impact on the local community, one expert has suggested. Pat Yale of Turkey’s Today’s Zaman newspaper has highlighted the beneficial financial affect of the Brits who have come to live in the place that boasts 300…

Kumlubuk Bay on Turkey’s Lycian coast has been highlighted as inspirational spot for writing, after being named in a newspaper’s Top 20 learning holidays. Seven-night courses in creative writing are available to those wishing to brush up their skills in a beautiful setting. Jeremy Lazell of the Times enthused: "Perched atop a canyon above Kumlubuk Bay, with an infinity pool overlooking the Lycian coast and a cricket-filled pine forest stretching up into the hills, the Dionysos would locate the muse in…

Turkey’s culture and tourism minister Ertugral Gunay has spoken of his dream of a massive museum project that would showcase the rich history of the country. Mr Gunay said he wants Turkey to have a museum which will attract visitors from all over the world, competing with other cultural hubs such as New York and London,…

Turkish politicians are working hard to cut bureaucracy and make it easier for property investors to buy in their country. The mayor of Istanbul, Kadir Topbas, told a conference this week that reducing the burden of red tape was a top priority. He said every effort was being made to ensure that property investors could take advantage of the various opportunities the Turkish capital and other destinations presented. "Investing in <a…

The Turkish government is conducting research at Gocek Bay in Mugla, to weigh up the benefits of creating more bays which aim to become popular stops with yachters. Gocek, now a major yachting destination, is a regular mooring point for the yachts that travel around the Meditarranean each summer and the Environment Ministry is exploring the possibility of investing in locations in other regions which could replicate its success, reports the Dogan News Agency. According to reports, officials at the ministry believe Turkey has not utilised its resources for yachting up to this point. Yesim…

The stylish Turkish resort of Kalkan, usually associated with yachts and expensive cars, is home to a number of middle age men who prefer 30-year-old Russian motorcycles to get around on, one travel expert has noted. Reuters’s Giles Elgood was struck by the quirky sight of locals who get from a to b on the retro Planetta III bikes. Instead of terrorising fellow road users or racing carelessly down highways as a younger generation might have done, the responsible, greying members of the Kalkan community favour the bike for its reliability. "Those old 1970s warriors are likely to be…

The town of Kas, half an hour’s drive from Kalkan, is quickly carving out a reputation for itself as a divers’ paradise. Winning travel critics over with its mass of diverse sea life and sparkling bays, Kas also features more than a generous portion of history, having been the centre of the ancient Lycian empire. "Citizens built tombs that can still be seen, carved into the cliff face, or dotted along the "Lycian Way,” a marked coastal footpath that stretches about 500 kilometres (310 miles)," said Anna Jenkinson, the Bloomberg travel writer, when describing the scene. Ms…

Turkey will make its proud boast of nine UNESCO World Cultural Heritage sites a part of the country’s 2023 tourism strategy. No other country on earth possesses as many different types of accredited locations. Among the places chosen are the caves of Cappadocia and the natural pools and ridges of Pammukale, reports the Korea Times. Also included are the Numrut Dag archaeological site and the city of Safranoblu, which is known as the Capital City of Preservation, due to its extensive collection of fine art. The city of Istanbul was selected, along with the famous archaeological site of Troy….

Turkey could double the number of tourists coming to see the country each year by increasing the promotional budget allocated to attracting tourists, according to one senior figure in the travel industry. Basaran Ulusoy of the Turkish Association of Travel Agents (TURSAB) believes the current figure of 24 million tourists in the year could be doubled to 50 million, with a $200 million (£98 million) allowance given to the organisation to advertise Turkey around the world, reports the Turkish Daily News. In a challenge to the Tourism Ministry Mr Ulusoy declared: "If we fail to double…