Turkey electronic visa (e-Visa)

No more waiting in the queue at the Turkish embassies or consulates or upon arrival in Turkey for a visa application. Since early 2013, Turkey has introduced E-Visa, a new endorsement that allows the bearer to enter Turkey, to replace “sticker”- and “stamp-type” visas formerly issued at the border crossing. With e-visa, applicants now can obtain their visa electronically after entering required information and making payment by credit card instead of waiting in a queue upon arrival to Turkey.

To apply e-visa to enter Turkey, visit Turkey e-visa web site. After successful application, e-Visa is e-mailed to the applicant. Applicants must print out their e-Visa, show it to airport officials and customs officers and carry it with them at all times during the travel. E-Visa is only valid for tourism or trade purposes. For other purposes such as work or study, an application through our Embassies or Consulates must be submitted.

All you need to apply for e-visa for Turkey is a minimum 6-month-valid passport, flight (or any other possible means of transportation) reservation and a credit card (Master or Visa).

Each e-visa application online costs $20 and you must apply per person and you can’t not apply for a group of people.

Below is a video showing how to apply Turkey visa online.


Who is eligible for e-visa for Turkey?
Citizens of Afghanistan, Algeria, Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Bahamas, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Belgium, Benin, Botswana, Burkina, Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Canada, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, China, Comoros, Congo, Republic of theCongo, the Democratic Republic of the, Côte d’Ivoire, Croatia, Djibouti, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Cyprus, Grenada, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Haiti, Hong Kong, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Iraq, Ireland, Jamaica, Kenya, Kuwait, Lesotho, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Maldives, Mali, Malta, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mexico, Moldova, Mozambique, Namibia, Netherlands, Niger, Nigeria, Norway, Oman, Pakistan, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Rwanda, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, São Tomé and Príncipe, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Slovakia, Somalia, South Africa, Spain, Sudan, Swaziland, Taiwan, Tanzania, Togo, U.S.A, Uganda, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, Yemen and Zambia are eligible to apply e-visa.
If you are a citizen of Antigua and Barbuda, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Bahamas, Barbados, Belarus, Belgium, Canada, Croatia, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Grenada, Haiti, Hong Kong, Hungary, Ireland, Jamaica, Kuwait, Maldives, Malta, Mauritius, Mexico, Moldova, Netherlands, Norway, Oman, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Saudi Arabia, Slovakia, South Africa, Spain, U.S.A, United Arab Emirates or United Kingdom; you can apply and obtain multiple-entry e-visa.

Arab tourists enjoy the sea, sunshine as well as thermal tourism

Arab tourists are rediscovering Turkey and what it offers more than sunshine and sea, according to Anadolu Agency of Turkey. Tourist from Arab Countries show great interest in thermal tourism locations in Turkey such as Yalova in Turkey's northwest.

Termal, a thermal spring only 11 kilometers away from Yalova, is visited by tourists from United Arab Emirates (UAE), Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Qatar:

"In the past three years, we had a growing number of Arab tourists visiting the Termal town. In 2011, 179,000 tourists stayed over and this rose to 530,000 in 2012. We target one million tourists for the year of 2013. A mini Arab world gets formed in the town. This especially took place after the Middle East process was initiated by Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan," said Mayor of Termal town Ismail Atik.
Source : Arab tourists explore Turkey

According to Mr. Atik Arab tourists spend more than European tourists and travel as a large family even with their baby sitters included.

Yalova in North Western Turkey offers many thermal hotel accomodation.
Photo - Yalova Thermal Camlik Hotel

Yalova is not the only thermal region discovered by Arab tourists. According to Hurriyet Daily News, Pamukkale is among those regions receiving its share of the growing Arab tourist market.

Pamukkale (meaning cotton castle), a natural formation in the Aegean province of Denizli and one of the popular tourist attractions in the country, has typically been visited by tourists from Europe. However, recent figures show that there has been a notable increase in the number of Arab tourists visiting the area.
Source : Arab tourists discover Turkey’s ‘cotton castle’

Pamukkale is famous with  bizarre calcium cliff bathing pools overlooking the town of Pamukkale which are products of very hot springs with a very high mineral content (notably chalk) arose at this location. The open air hot spring SPAs allow you to swim here even in winter under snow. Traditionally mostly visited by Europeans, Pamukkale recently became famous among Russians and visitors from Far East as well as Arab visitors.

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

The Basilica Cistern gets record number of tourists after Dan Brown’s Inferno

The Basilica Cistern or or Sunken Cistern, huge cistern built in built in 542 just 500 feet (150 m)  southwest of the Hagia Sophia, has received  240,000 visitors in May 2013 after it was mentioned in Dan Brown’s new book Inferno. The Basilica Cistern is the largest of several hundred ancient cisterns that lie beneath the city of Istanbul (formerly Constantinople). The underground cistern was built to supply water to the grand palace of the emperors of the Byzantine Empire. After Istanbul was conquered by Ottomans in 1453, it was used to supply water to the gardens of Topkapı Palace.

The Basilica Cistern is known in Turkey as Yerebatan Sarayı (Sunken Palace) or Yerebatan Sarnıcı (Sunken Cistern). It was turned into a museum and opened to visitors by the Istanbul Municipality after recent restorations.

Dan Brown’s latest book "Inferno", which went on sale simultaneously in Europe and the USA made a significant contribution to Istanbul's Basilica Cistern and Hagia Sofia Museum; and the number is expected to rise even higher. The story in Inferno begins in Florence and then moves to Sienna. Later on, Robert Langdon travel beyond the borders of Italy and into Turkey – where the evocative streets of Istanbul also play their part in the unfolding tale.

The Basilica Cistern

Turkey climbs one place to sixth in World’s Top Tourism Destinations List

According to United Nations World Trade Organisation (UNWTO) Tourism Highlights 2012, Turkey moved up one position to sixth place (with 29 million tourists) overtaking the United Kingdom in the 10 ranking by international tourist arrivals.

From UNWTO Tourism Highlights, 2012 Edition:

France continues to lead the ranking of international tourist arrivals (79 million), and ranks third in receipts (US$ 54 billion), while the United States ranks first in receipts (US$ 116 billion) and second in arrivals (62 million). Spain is still the second largest earner worldwide and the first in Europe (US$ 60 billion), while ranking fourth in the world by arrivals (57 million). China continues to rank third in arrivals (58 million) and fourth in receipts (US$ 48 billion), while Italy remains in fifth place in both arrivals (46 million) and receipts (US$ 43 billion).

Turkey moved up one place to sixth in arrivals and is twelfth in receipts. The United Kingdom is seventh in both arrivals and receipts. Germany continues to rank eighth in tourist arrivals and sixth in receipts, while Malaysia is ninth and fourteenth respectively. Australia, Macao (China), and Hong Kong (China) complete the top ten ranking by receipts in eighth, ninth and tenth place respectively, while Mexico closes the top ten by arrivals in tenth position.

UNWTO ranks countries according to the two key tourism indicators: international tourist arrivals and international tourism receipts. 8 of the top 10 destinations appear on both lists, despite showing marked differences in terms of the type of tourists they attract, their average length of stay and their spending per trip and per night. In the case of international tourism receipts, changes not only reflect relative performance.

Although Turkey is 6th in the World’s Top 10 Tourism Destinations By International Arrival list, it is not in top 10 in the World’s Top 10 Tourism Destinations By International Tourism Receipts list.

Maiden Tower, Istanbul

World’s Top 10 Tourism Destinations By International Arrival

1 - France (79.5 million)

2 - United States (62.3 million)

3 - China (57.6 million)

4 - Spain (56.7 million)

5 - Italy (46.1 million)

6 - Turkey (29.3 million)

7 - United Kingdom (29.2 million)

8 - Germany (28.4 million)

9 - Malaysia (24.7 million)

10 - Mexico (23.4 million)

Oludeniz and Icmeler are in Top 25 Beach Destinations list

TripAdvisor, one of world’s largest travel site, has announced the winners of its annual 2012 Travelers’ Choice® Beach Destinations awards. 181 top beach locations were named around the world including Africa, Asia, Australia, Brazil, Caribbean, Central America, Europe, France, Greece, India, Indonesia, Italy, Mexico, Middle East, South America, South Pacific, Spain, Thailand, Turkey, U.K. and the U.S. Turkey's Oludeniz and Icmeler has been in the list.

Ölüdeniz, a small beach resort in Fethiye in South West coast of Turkey. It is the 14th best beach destination in the list. Other then offering one of the best beaches in the world, Oludeniz is also one of the best places for para glide due to its unique panoramic views, and the Babadağ Mountain's exceptional height. İçmeler, a popular Turkish holiday resort 8 kilometres away from Marmaris, is 24th.

Both Oludeniz and Icmeler beaches are on Turkey's Turquoise Coast, a 1000 km coastline in South West Turkey famous with the best holiday resorts in Turkey.

Oludeniz (Blue Lagoon) offers one of the best beaches and paragliding spots in the world.

Where is Olu deniz? Oludeniz is on the famous Turquoise Coast (also known as Turkish Riviera), the Mediterranean coast of Turkey between Cesme and Alanya. Oludeniz is somewhere in the middle on the Turquoise Coast in Fethiye (see the map below). Icmeler is also on the Turkish Riviera, in Marmaris.

Turquoise Coast (Turkish Riviera) is the coasts of Cesme, Kusadasi, Bodrum, Marmaris, Fethiye, Kemer, Antalya and Alanya. The coast has the best tourist destinations in Turkey. 

2012 Travelers’ Choice® Beach Destinations Top 25

1. Providenciales, Turks and Caicos
2. Palm/Eagle Beach, Aruba
3. Tulum, Mexico
4. Negril, Jamaica
5. Saint Pete Beach, Florida
6. Boracay, Philippines
7. Cancun, Mexico
8. Punta Cana, Dominican Republic
9. Miami/Miami Beach, Florida
10. Varadero, Cuba
11. Myrtle Beach, South Carolina
12. Playa del Carmen, Mexico
13. Virginia Beach, Virginia
14. Oludeniz, Turkey
15. Honolulu, Hawaii
16. Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt
17. Daytona Beach, Florida
18. Fort Lauderdale, Florida
19. Lahaina, Hawaii
20. Cayo Coco, Cuba
21. Marsa Alam, Egypt
22. Cabo San Lucas, Mexico
23. Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
24. Icmeler, Turkey
25. Puerto Alcudia, Spain

The Travertines of Pamukkale

This article is moved to Pamukkale Cotton Castle.

Butterfly Valley: One of the best places to have holiday in Turkey

This post is moved to Butterfly Valley: One of the best places to have holiday in Turkey.

Number of international tourist arrivals to Istanbul up 18.7 per cent

In the first 6 months of 2012, number of foreign tourists visiting Istanbul has been 4 million and 231 thousand, an 18.7 per cent increase compared to the first 6 months of 2011. The numbers are collected from Istanbul's Ataturk and Sabiha Gokcen Airports, Haydarpasa train station, Pendik and Kadikoy ports. 11.3 per cent of these foreign tourists were Germans, 6.2 per cent of them were Russian tourists and 5.2 per cent were Americans:

1 - Germany, 479,147
2 - Russia, 262,391
3- USA, 219,183
4 - France, 190,432
5- UK, 190,092
6 - Iran, 189,532
7 - Italy, 178,231
8 - The Netherlands, 121,680
9 - Libya, 94,292
10- Ukraine, 92,554
11 - Japan, 87,775
12 - Spain, 85,079
13 - Iraq, 84,414
14 - Azerbaijan, 83,054
15 - Saudi Arabia, 78,206
16 -  Others, 1,795,380


Istanbul Culture and Tourism Manager Prof. Dr. Ahmet Emre Bilgili said:

"Istanbul has hosted 4,230,612 international tourists in the first 6 months 2012 and this is 19 per cent increase compared to the first 6 months of 2011. If we assume that this trend continues until the end of 2012, the city can close the year with 9.5 million tourists."

Istanbul Hagia Sophia

Istanbul, the economic and cultural capital of Turkey, is one of the most important tourism spots of Turkey with thousands of hotels and other tourist oriented industries are catering to both leisure and business visitors. The city has two international airports handling more than 50 Million passengers a year and several ports for cruisers and ships.Istanbul is also one of the world’s major conference destinations and is an increasingly popular choice for the world’s leading international associations.[1]

Source : Istanbul 2012'nin ilk yarisini yuzde 18.7 artisla kapatti (Turkish)

[1] - Economy of Istanbul

Seabird Airlines offers coast to coast flights in Turkey

Seabird Airlines is the only airline in Turkey which is equipped with sea planes capable of landin and taking off from sea and air strips. Seabird Airlines has been established in 2010 by Kürşad Arusan (Founder and Chairman of the Board)[1] and gained necessary permits from Turkish Civil Aviation Authority (SHGM) recently[1].

Sea Bird Airways carried out their first test flight between Alacati-Istanbul in June 2012 and is Turkey’s first and only Air Taxi / Airline company to land and take off from water.

The airline flies from Halic Istanbul to destinations like Bozcaada, Gemlik (Bursa), Alacati (Izmir) and Bodrum. Starting from January 2nd 2014, Seabird Airlines also offers flights from Halic to Kocaeli. The flight will take 22 minutes.

According to Seabird Airlines although Kocaeli is right next to Istanbul, because of the traffic the travel time from European side of Istanbul and Kocaeli is quite long.[3]

Although the airline’s flights were quite popular, they had some problems on their journey in Turkish aviation history. Seabird Airlines has started with one plane which meant that if there was a technical problem with the plane there were no flights (no other airline in Turkey has the same type of plane to temporarily rent).

But now they have 2 planes and a third is on its way so these problems would probably be a matter of the past.

Seabird Airlines destination map

The airline operates DHC-6 Twin Otter, a Canadian 19-passenger STOL (Short Takeoff and Landing) utility aircraft, powered by Pratt&Whitney PT6-27 turboprop engines. These planes are capable of landing and taking off from sea and conventional runways. One of the most exiting experience of these flights are their low altitude which allows you to have a close-up view of Turkey which is quite impossible to have with a high flying jet airliner. With low altitude flights, the airline offers a great bird-eye view of Turkey’s coastline with relatively affordable prices. The planes take off and land from the coast and allows passengers to save on time which would be wasted to go to an airport and clear all those security check queues.

Seabird Airlines DHC-6 Twin Otter

Other than scheduled flights, Seabird Airlines also allow you to charter sea planes for group travel. With planes of 19 passangers, you can individually or with a group charter a flight from the airline and fly without restrictions of time and destination. The airline also offers an exiting Istanbul Sightseeing tour from air.

[1] –  Seabird Airlines
[2] –  Sea-plane’s first landing in Halic; DHA General Manager Cebeci on aircraft
[3] – Izmit’e ucak seferi basliyor (Turkish).