Turkey – a cultural and historical treasure

for travel, tourism and meetings

T urkey is one of the most-visited countries in the world for tourism - 27 million tourists visited the country in 2009 and it ranks 8th in the world. Every year some US$2 billion is invested in the Turkish tourism sector which offers a wonderful range of options from just extending your business trip a couple of days to a full vacation enjoying the winter sports, culture, cuisine or just relaxing in one of the superb resorts. Whatever you choose, you are sure to enjoy Turkish hospitality and culture and want to return again and again.

Congress Tourism

Turkey's history and cultural heritage make it the door to an amazing array of possibilities. It is a magnificent place for meetings, incentives and congresses at the point where Europe and Asia meet.

Traditional Turkish hospitality, high-quality national food and wines, endless amusement and excursion possibilities are the guarantees of the success your congress or meeting in Turkey - and will resonate with delegates long time after the event concludes.

There is a rich mixture of first-class hotels and conference facilities, with easy transpot and connections to all the main cities of the world. Combined with a perfect climate and offering highly-competitive cost-effective options, there is no better place.

Istanbul is easily accessible from the UK and other worldwide destinations and it combines a wonderful and heady mix of the exoctic East with a wealth of cultural experiences, amazing architecture and some of the most modern and well-equipped venues. There are also easy and good connections to İzmir, Antalya and Ankara by Turkish Airlines.

With its palm trees and ancient ruins, İzmir is the door of Aegean region. Sweet coastal summer places such as Ku&scedile;adası, Marmaris, Bodrum and Fethiye are very good choices for sales, meetings and incentives. Antalya, Mersin and the Mediterranean's coastal summer places are very popular with visitors all year, with sun, beautiful sandy beaches and ancient historical places.

The capital city of Turkey, Ankara, is an important center with easy transport to great hotels and restaurants, as well as the nearby magnificent rock churches and underground cities of the legendary Cappadocia. First capital city of Ottoman Empire, Bursa, has a dazzling panorama, thermal spa hotels and perfect skiing possibilities in Uludağ.

Golf

In recent years, as golf courses with international standards have opened up, Turkey has become an elite golfing centre where players from around the world can meet in an environment of quality and prestige. Especially in the area of Belek, 30km east of Antalya, where there are excellent facilities for "golf tourism" with the unique bonus of the cultural, historical and natural sightseeing of the region. Top-class courses are also being planned for Istanbul, Ankara and Mugla.

In Turkey, most courses are in the vicinity of tourist resorts around the coastal regions which have all the necessary facilities like accommodation, restaurants and entertainment. The Ministry of Tourism plans to establish another 11 golf courses in these tourist areas.

Yachting

The azure waters of the Mediterranean, Aegean, Marmara and Black Sea surround Turkey to the south, west and north, making a treasure chest of coves, inlets, bays and beaches in which yachtsmen can choose a different and private anchorage each night.

The sailing paradise of Turkey is also home to the Mavi Yolculuk, or Blue Voyage, an idyllic cruise which travels to the private beach of Cleopatra, the eternal fires of Mount Olimpos and the remains of thousands of ancient civilisations.

Sailing in Turkey also allows visitors to experience the hospitality of the people in the coastal villages and towns. The tempered winds blowing from west and northwest make the long summers ideal for yachting and seem to encourage an appreciation of nature. From some of the turquoise coast's unspoilt and sheltered bays you can see mountain peaks rising to almost 3000 meters above the sea level.

Thermal resorts

Because of Turkey's location on top of a major geothermal belt, it is among the top seven countries in the world for thermal springs. There are over 1000 springs with temperatures ranging from 20°C to 110°C. Most are in the Marmara and Aegean regions and because of their proximity to popular travel destinations, such as Istanbul, Izmir, Pamukkale and Marmaris, public transport is easy.

Many of Turkey's historical places developed because of their springs, like the ancient city of Hieropolis which was built upon the rich mineral springs of Pamukkale and the ancient Lydian city of Kaunos whose people took baths in the rich mineral mud of Lake Koycegiz.

Mountaineering and winter sports

Turkey presents mountain lovers with an incredible variety of interesting climbing opportunities that are sure to satisfy even the most demanding hikers climbers and winter sports fans. In Turkey, mountains come in all sizes and shapes and boast abundant wildlife and forests, teeming with diverse flora and fauna. Every year, thousands of tourists from all over the world come to Turkey for winter sports (especially skiing), mountain climbing and hiking.

Rafting

Turkey, with its rich natural resources and hundreds of rivers, provides great opportunities for water sports like rafting, canoeing and water-skiing, while always respecting the cultural, historical and environmental qualities of the country. The most famous is the River Coruh, renowned internationally as one of the fastest flowing in the world and venue of the 4th World Watersports Championships in 1993 which saw 300 competitors from 28 countries.

Underwater Diving

The beautiful azure seas of Turkey offer divers a place to discover a fascinating submerged world, from underwater caverns to sunken ships and even the remains of ancient cities. The only areas prohibited from diving are military zones, those conducting scientific research and areas under protection.

Air sports

The beauty of Turkey can also be appreciated and discovered by people fond of air sports such as paragliding, gliding, parachuting and ballooning. Even if you are not a fanatic, you can always try it out for the first time!

Caving

Turkey is a "paradise of caverns" with about 40,000 caves and caverns. Important geological regions (with karst scenery) are in the Western and Central Taurus Mountains (Muğla, Antalya, Isparta, Burdur, Konya, Karaman, İçe;el and Adana). The longest cave is Pınarözü Cavern (16 km west of Bey&scedile;ehir Lake) and the deepest is Çe;ukurpınar Sinkhole (1880 meters at the south of Anamur).

Botanical richness

Various factors combine to make the Anatolian Peninsula an area rich in flora. The geographic situation (being a bridge between three continents) and the variety of climate have resulted in the region having around 9000 species - which compares to a total of 12,000 in the whole of Europe. Not only do we have a wide variety of species, but we also have more endemic plants - 3000, compared to only 2750 in Europe.

One of the most important reasons for the richness of plant species in Turkey is that Anatolia was a shelter for plants during the ice age. Today, Turkey is at the intersection of three different plant zones: the Mediterranean Plant Area (including the Mediterranean and Aegean regions); the European - Siberia Plant Area (including the Black Sea and Marmara region); and the Iran - Turan Plant Area (including Central Anatolia and Eastern Anatolia regions).

Churches, Synagogues and Mosques

Over the ages, the development of technology, without exception, has transcended national boundaries, bringing people closer together. Since the discovery of writing, perheps 9000 or 10,000 years ago, certain places in the world were fertile grounds contact between different cultures, civilizations and religions.

The foundations of the various ancient civilizations on the lands of Anatolia, the settlement of the Disciples during the first quarter of Christianity in Anatolia, or that of Jewish people who were subjected to the policy of annihilation in their homelands during the Mediaeval Ages, inevitably resulted in the Anatolian region being home to various Synagogues and Churches, as well as the Islamic works of art belonging to the Turkish nations.

The fact that these superb buildings and works of art survive is due to our nations' respect and high esteem of other religions. It allows Turkey to gain an advantageous position among all countries and makes it a rich place for sightseeing, cultural and religious interest and study.

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