Israelis are flocking to Antalya once again

After Gaza Flotilla incident in 2010, tourist arrivals from Israel to popular Turkish Mediterranean resort town of Antalya was hardly hit. In July 2010, the arrivals of Israeli travelers to Antalya dropped %72, compared to July 2009. 

But things are turning around now as Israelis are flocking back to Antalya. According to Israeli newspaper Haaretz, between January and June, 126,700 air passengers have made their way between Tel Aviv and Antalya, a 33% increase over the period last year.

The exodus to Antalya looks like it will continue this month. On Thursday, eight charter flights operated by three separate Turkish carriers departed Israel for the Turkish resort area. No Israeli airlines currently fly to Turkey due to the refusal of the Turks to accede to security arrangements that Israeli authorities have demanded before service is resumed.
Source : Two years on, Israelis are flocking to Antalya once again

 Back in March 2013, Haaretz also reported that "Turkey may again become favorite Israeli tourism spot, in wake of Netanyahu's apology". Same time in the year, Turkish newspaper Sabah has reported a similar trend:

Last March the number of Israeli tourists to visit Antalya dropped exponentially to 363, however this year has seen a recovery with 4,117 Israeli tourists visiting Antalya in March alone. According to a written announcement released by Antalya Chamber of Trade and Industry (ATSO) Executive Board Chairman Çetin Osman Budak, figures from the Ministry of Culture and Tourism show that Israeli visitors are now increasingly selecting Antalya as a preferred destination.
Budak pointed out that in March of 2010, 13,787 visitors came to Antalya from Israel, however in 2011 that figure dropped to 267 and in 2012 to 363. Budak stated that this year's figures show a recovery with 4,117 Israeli tourists visiting Antalya in March of this year.
Source : Israeli tourists to Antalya are on the rise

Tourists in Antalya - Source : Sabah English

Istanbul is 'Europe's Best City' for travelers

Turkey's cultural and financial center and the largest city, Istanbul, has been voted as Europe's Best City in   "World's Best City Award 2013" organised by Travel and Leisure magazine. Globally, the transcontinental city (which lies both on Europe and Asia) has climbed to second position after Bangkok.

In Europe, Istanbul has climbed to the top position for the best city with a score of 89.96, pushing Florance to second place. In Europe category, Rome, Barcelona, Paris, Venice, Prague, Bruges (Belgium), Vienna and  London has been from number 3 to number 10. London, Prague and Bruges were not in the list in 2012.

Globally, Bangkok is voted as the "World's Best City" four years in a row. Istanbul is voted as world's second best city. Istanbul has climbed from 3rd position in 2012, pushing Florance to 3rd position in the list. Other cities in the top 10 are : Florance (3), Cape Town (4), Kyoto (5), Rome (6), Charleston, South Carolina (7), Barcelona (8), Paris (9) and Chiang Mai (10).

2013 is T+L’s 18th annual poll. The magazine asks its readers to cast their votes for the hotels, destinations, and companies that define the very best in travel. The results are announced as World's Best Awards where one category is cities.

The Blue Mosque Istanbul
Photo - Qatar Airways

Located on both sides of the Bosphorus, the strait separating Europe and Asia,  Istanbul bridges Asia and Europe both physically and culturally. As one of the largest in Europe and the world with 12 and 19 million people living in its metropolitan area, Istanbul offers thousands of years of history, a very sophisticated and diversified shopping and entertainment experience as well as easy access to other tourism cities and sites in Turkey.

Qatar Airways flights to Istanbul will be served by Airbus A330 aircraft

Doha based international airline Qatar Airways has increased its capacity on its flights to Istanbul from Doha by introducing wide body Airbus A330 aircraft. As of July 2013, with the introduction of these larger aircraft, Doha - Istanbul capacity will be increased by 166 seats per day, or almost 50%.

Qatar Airways Airbus A330 aircraft feature two-class seats (24 Business Class and 258 Economy Class), seat-back TV screens providing passengers with the next generation interactive onboard entertainment system and a choice of more than 1000 audio and video on demand options.

“After more than 10 successful years of operations in Turkey, we are absolutely delighted to introduce a wide body aircraft on our Istanbul route, which will provide our passengers extra capacity and an optimised level of service and comfort” says Qatar Airways Chief Executive Officer Akbar Al Baker.

Istanbul, Turkey's largest city, business, culture and tourism center, is a popular route for both leisure and business travelers. Qatar Airways started flying to Istanbul in 2003 with only 3X weekly flight frequency and now flies 10x a week thanks to the strong demand from Turkish market. From its hub Doha, which is only 4 hours flight from Istanbul, Qatar Airways offers quality and relatively cheap flights to Middle East, Africa and East Asia which is increasingly making the airline popular among Turks. The airline has seen rapid growth in just 16 years of operations, currently flying a modern fleet of 127 aircraft to 128 key business and leisure destinations across Europe, Middle East, Africa, Asia Pacific and The Americas.

A Qatar Airways Airbus A-330.

Below are Qatar Airways Istanbul flight schedules:

Flights from Doha to Istanbul (Sundays and Thursdays)
Depart Doha on QR 482 at 0750hrs, arrive in Istanbul at 1220hrs
Depart Doha on QR 480 at 1400hrs, arrive in Istanbul at 1830hrs

DOHA – ISTANBUL (Mondays)
Depart Doha on QR 482 at 0750hrs, arrive in Istanbul at 1220hrs
Depart Doha on QR 480 at 1350hrs, arrive in Istanbul at 1820hrs

Flights from Doha to Istanbul (Tuesdays and Saturdays)
Depart Doha on QR 480 at 1400hrs, arrive in Istanbul at 1830hrs

Flights from Doha to Istanbul (Wednesdays and Fridays)
Depart Doha on QR 482 at 0750, arrive in Istanbul at 1220hrs

Flights from Istanbul to Doha (Sundays and Thursdays)
Depart Istanbul on QR483 at 1320hrs, arrive in Doha at 1730hrs
Depart Istanbul on QR481 at 1930hrs, arrive in Doha at 2340hrs

Flights from Istanbul to Doha (Mondays)
Depart Istanbul on QR483 at 1325hrs, arrive in Doha at 1735hrs
Depart Istanbul on QR481 at 1930hrs, arrive in Doha at 2340hrs

Flights from Istanbul to Doha (Tuesdays)
Depart Istanbul on QR481 at 1935hrs, arrive in Doha at 2345hrs

Flights from Istanbul to Doha (Wednesdays)
Depart Istanbul on QR483 at 1325hrs, arrive in Doha at 1735hrs

Flights from Istanbul to Doha (Fridays)
Depart Istanbul on QR483 at 1320hrs, arrive in Doha at 1730hrs

Flights from Istanbul to Doha (Saturdays)
Depart Istanbul on QR481 at 1930hrs, arrive in Doha at 2340hrs

Qatar Airways has so far launched six destinations this year – Gassim (Saudi Arabia), Salalah (Oman), Najaf and Basra (Iraq), Phnom Penh (Cambodia) and Chicago (USA).Over the next few months, the network will grow further with Sulaymaniyah, Iraq (August 20), Chengdu, China (September 3) and recently-announced new routes of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia (September 18), Clark International Airport, Philippines (October 27) and Philadelphia, USA (2 April 2014).

Bodrum Hotel deals by Otel.com

For those who want to spend their holidays in Aegean Region, Otel.com announces its 7% discounts on luxury Bodrum hotels. These special rates can be seen on the website of the company here; http://www.otel.com/.

With its history, nature and culture, Bodrum is a popular holiday getaway in Turkey. The Bodrum peninsula is situated on the eastern coast of the Aegean Sea. The weather in Bodrum makes it a popular all-year round tourist destination. Summers are hot and winters are mild though can be rainy. Book your cheap Bodrum hotel in advance for the summer season to get the best choice. One of Bodrum best known hotels is the Hotel Manastir. This popular hotels is on a steep hill and commands some breathtaking views over Bodrum.

There are many events to attend in Bodrum, especially sports events. For instance, Bodrum Bicycle Festival and Diving Festival are the top two festivals attracting hundreds of tourists from all around the world. Due to these events, Bodrum hotels are generally full during May. Bodrum Cup Wooden Yacht Regatta is held in October and many sports aficionados pour along Bodrum.

The Mausoleum at Halicarnassus is also a must-see landmark. It is one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. This ancient tomb can be seen in the city of Halicarnassus in modern Bodrum.

Bodrum Castle (Castle of St. Peter)

People also visit some other famous attractions like Bodrum Castle, Bodrum Amphitheatre, Myndos Gate, Seven Windmills and the Bodrum Museum of Underwater Archaeology during their stay in hotels in Bodrum.
Metin Altun, CEO of Otel.com emphasizes the importance of Bodrum for Turkish tourism; “Without Bodrum, Aegean beaches are not complete. It offers many natural beauties and the city is still well-kept in terms of historical heritage. There are many luxury hotels in the city; however people are trying to find cheap hotels in Bodrum. Therefore; we tried our best and in the middle of summer we offer discounts up to 7% in some Bodrum hotels for only our customers.”

Vera Club Hotel TMT is one of the discounted hotels Metin Altun mentions. It features a private beach, outdoor and indoor pools. Hotel Manastir & Suites are the other resort people can book with a special price. Built on the site of an 18th-century monastery, the hotel overlooks Bodrum Bay and offers a glass-walled dining room, where people can enjoy Turkish and international cuisine.

Turkish health tourism industry welcomed 250000 foreign patients

Turkey's focus on health tourism is showing its benefits. In the last 4 years, the number of foreigner patients coming to Turkish private and public hospitals for treatment has increased 3 fold from 74,000 in 2008 to 250,000 in 2012. Following the increase in numbers, Turkish Health Ministry has increased translation services provided to patients from 4 languages to 6 languages: English, Arabic, Russian, Persian and French.

With this 3 fold increase, Turkey is now in top 10 in terms of health tourism. The top five patient sending countries to Turkey are Germany, Russia, Azerbaijan, The Netherlands, Iraq and France. Most patients come to Turkey for eye operations, cancer treatment, orthopaedy, cardiology, brain surgery, plastic surgery and dental works. Turkey's target is having 500,000 health tourists in 2015 and making revenue of 7 billion USD from this niche tourism.

Turkey is maximum 3.5 - 4 hours flight away from European destinations as well as Middle East and provides a high quality medical infrastructure and well trained personnel with significantly lower costs compared to Europe. As a European Union candidate, the country has shaped its health sector a lot in the recent years which helps driving demand for its health tourism offers from many countries.

With the motto of "holiday and treatment all together in Turkey", Turkey Ministry of Health provides a web site to help health tourists to find their way in the country.

As of 2010, there were a total of 111.211 doctors, 31.978 of them being practitioners, 58.258 of them being specialists and 20.975 of them still continuing their education in medical expertise. 63.622 of these doctors work at the Ministry of Health, 25.015 of them work in universities, while 22.574 of them work in the private sector.