Turkey’s Top Attractions at Off-Season Prices

With a history of thousands of years and a unique location that saw several big world empires Turkey is a cradle of civilizations. Add the current highly popular modern cities, night life, shopping options  it is a paradise for travelers, offering rich, cultural attractions, ancient sites and historic ruins that are among the most unique in the world.

Usual and most crowded tourist season for Turkey is summer during when tourists mostly from Europe, Russia and Middle East flow to Turkey's Turquoise Coast beach resorts. But what Turkey offers as a tourist destination is not limited to summer beach resort holiday.

With the summer crowds gone, Crossroads Tours International, which features a wide selection of escorted tours, cruise packages and FIT services, offers travelers the perfect opportunity to experience Turkey and discover its diverse treasures in an uncrowded atmosphere and at attractive, off-season prices.

“Istanbul & Cappadocia” 
This 6-day/5-night package features the must-see attractions of Istanbul, Turkey’s largest city and heart of the country’s economic, cultural and historical legacy. The tour begins here, inthe city where “East meets West,” and includes a visit to Cappadocia, the region renowned for its surreal landscape and remarkable Christian history. The stay in Istanbul includes an in-depth, full day tour focusing on the city’s Byzantine and Ottoman heritage and a half-day cruise on the Bosphorus, which rewards guests with spectacular views of the city’s Asian and European shorelines. Cappadocia highlights include views of the fabled Pasabag “Fairy Chimneys;” Goreme Open Air Museum, the rock cut churches of the “Red Valley,” and “Kaymakli Underground City.”

“Istanbul & Cappadocia” tours start daily in Istanbul and can be booked through a travel agent. Through October 31, 2013, the price is $690 per person, double occupancy. It is $610 per person throughout November. Round trip airfares from the U.S. and within Turkey are not included.

“Discover Turkey” 

Turkey’s history, diverse religious, cultural heritage, and natural wonders are center stage on Crossroads Tours’ best-selling “Discover Turkey” tour. This comprehensive 10-day/9-night tour features the most important examples of Istanbul’s Byzantine and Ottoman legacy, the historic battlefield of Gallipoli, the legendary cities of Troy and Pergamum, plus the remarkably well-preserved city of Ephesus, once the Roman Empire’s center of learning, as well as the nearby shrine of “Mother Mary,” where it is said the Mother of Jesus Christ spent the last years of her life. The tour’s itinerary also includes the renowned spa of Pamukkale, with it glistening “petrified waterfalls;” Konya, home of Turkey’s renowned “Whirling Dervishes;” and a visit to the region of Cappadocia, whose mountainous, fairy tale-like landscape, with its hidden valleys, villages, and caves, were once the refuge of the early Christians, who were hiding from Roman persecution.

The “Discover Turkey” tour starts in Istanbul every Saturday and is priced at $1,090 per person through October 31, 2013, and $1,000 per person throughout November. Round trip airfare from the U.S. is not included.

What the Tour Prices Include:
The prices of the “Istanbul & Cappadocia” and “Discover Turkey” tours include: airport transfers upon arrival and departure; accommodations at 4-Star hotels; meals as specified in the respective itineraries, transportation by air-conditioned, non-smoking mini or midi buses; services of an experienced, English-speaking escort/guide; entrance fees to all of the sites, museums, and other attractions visited while on tour; plus hotel taxes and service charges. All rates are based on double occupancy.

Customized Packages and FIT’s 
Both the “Istanbul & Cappadocia” and “Discover Turkey” tours can be modified to meet special departure and/or other requirements. The same applies to any of Crossroads Tours’ other escorted, special interest, or “Special Occasion” tours. Crossroads Tours will also be happy to assist agents in planning tailored-made FIT packages. 

The Hagia Sophia Topkapı Palace and Ephesus most visited attractions in Turkey

The Hagia Sophia Museum,Topkapı Palace and the ruins of Ephesus. These are the most visited tourism attractions in Turkey last year, according to the Culture Ministry’s General Directorate of Cultural Heritage and Museums.

The Hagia Sophia Museum, a 1,475-year-old church that is regarded as one of the most significant architectural structures in Istanbul and in the world, became the most-visited museum in 2012. Hagia Sophia was a former Greek Orthodox patriarchal basilica, later an imperial mosque, and is now a museum in Istanbul, Turkey. The Hagia Sophia served as inspiration for many other Ottoman mosques, such as the Blue Mosque, the Şehzade Mosque, the Süleymaniye Mosque, the Rüstem Pasha Mosque and the Kılıç Ali Paşa Mosque.

Topkapı Palace in Istanbul which was the primary residence of the Ottoman Sultans for approximately 400 years (1465-1856) of their 624-year reign came in second place. Both Topkapı Palace and Hagia Sophia are located in Sultanahmed and within walking distance to each other and infamous Blue Mosque.

Ephesus, an ancient Greek and later a major Roman city on the coast of Ionia was in the third place. The ruins of the city which date back to 6000 B.C. are one of the best preserved ancient city ruins in Turkey and is quite popular thanks to its accessibility.

Meanwhile, the Mevlana Museum in the Central Anatolian province of Konya and the ruins of Hierapolis in the Aegean province of Denizli ranked among the most popular museums and ruins.

In 2011 a grand total of 28,462,893 tourists visited museums and ruins in Turkey, contributing 253,892,756 liras of revenue.

Top 10 Destination in Turkey

TripAdvisor's Traveller's Choice Awards 2013 has been out. We have looked at the top destinations in Turkey in 2013. Not suprisingly the list is crowded by resort cities from Turkish Turqouise Coast and lead by Turkey's largest and most happening city Istanbul. Still suprised to see Ankara on the top while there are better destinations like Izmir or Bursa.

1 - Istanbul
Istanbul is located on both Asia and Europe and carries characteristics of both. It may not be the capital but it is the most important city in Turkey. Its centuries old history combined with being the cultural, financial and entertainment center of Turkey offers something to all travelers and naturally sits at the top of top 10 destinations list in Turkey.

TripAdvisor advices not to miss Sultanahmet District, Bosphorus Strait and Suleymaniye Mosque.

2 - Marmaris

Seaside resort of Marmaris on Turkish Turquoise Coast is a very popular destination for cruise ships as well as British budget holiday hunters. Do not miss Blue Voyage, Dalyan, Marmaris Marina and Cleopatra Island.

Marmaris Marina

3 - Antalya
Turkey's tourism capital Antalya offers great beaches, traditional Turkish culture and some of the best beaches of Turkish Riviera. When there do not forget to visit city's old town center, Termessos, Antalya Archieological Museum and Pamukkale.

4 - Side
This resort town and a classical historic site in Pamphylia of Mediterranean Turkey hosts one of the few sites where you can find well-protected Roman ruins. Side offers quite nice resorts and beaches and is popular for both locals and tourists.

5 - Goreme
A town literally carved into the volcanic rock, Goreme is the gateway to the Goreme National Park, a vast UNESCO World Heritage Site that houses spectacular 10th- and 11th-century cave churches. The park itself is known for its chimney rock formations and is very popular with backpackers. It’s also a great area to sample Turkish cuisine and wine.

6 - Bodrum
This is where all Turkish Turquoise Coast as a tourist destination has started. Turkey's most popular vacation hotspot is also one of the most important stops on Turkish Riviera. It offers both a very nice beach and sea sports destination as well as a very vibrant nightlife.

7 - Dalyan Turkey
Ancient ruins, mud baths and loggerhead sea turtle breeding grounds are just some of the magical features of Dalyan. Beach sports, bike rides and river tours will satisfy your inner adventurer. Don’t miss the ornate Lycian tombs, carved into the cliffs along the Dalyan Çayı River circa 400 B.C.

8 - Oludeniz

Paragliding over Oludeniz

Famous for its 'Blue Lagoon' offers fantastic beaches and the best paragliding location in Turkey.

9 - Ankara
I am not sure how the capital city of Turkey famous for being the city of bureaucrats, students and soldiers made the top 10 destination but the city has its own character, a very nice modern facade and offers several tourist attractions for those interested in Turkish history like Ataturk Mausoleum (Anitkabir) and Anatolian Civilizations Museum (Anadolu Medeniyetleri Muzesi).

10 - Urgup
The Cappadocia region's most upscale and contemporary tourist city, Urgup has a number of lovely hotels, many built in and around centuries-old cave dwellings. The city and its surrounding area are known for their mysterious fairy chimneys, early Christian rock churches and fine vineyards. A mix of ancient and modern, Urgup is a center for traditional handmade carpets, but also has a lively nightlife. Hot air ballooning is very popular, and a fantastic way to see the area's beauty from above.

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.

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)