Tag: Indian tourists

  • Turkey seeks more air connectivity with India to boost tourism, trade

    Turkey seeks more air connectivity with India to boost tourism, trade

    NEW DELHI: Turkey today said it wants to double the number of flights from Delhi and Mumbai connecting the country to boost tourism and enhance trade and investments relations.

    “We want to double the frequency of flights from Delhi and Mumbai. We also want to start flights to more Indian destinations. It will help in boosting tourism sector in both the countries,” Ambassador of Turkey to India Burak Akcapar said here at a CII function.

    At present, a total of seven flights from Mumbai and Delhi connect India to Turkey.

    “We have completed all the procedures from our side (to increase flight frequency). Now the ball is in India’s court,” he added.

    Akcapar emphasised on the need to increase awareness among the business community of both the countries to enhance trade and investments relations.

    He said that the bilateral trade between the countries reflects that a lot needs to be done to increase two-way commerce as India is lagging behind several of its peers including China and several African nations.

    “Trade figure is very low. India lags behind in the way it represents in Turkey. It lags behind China, Africa and its peers in the world,” he said.

    The bilateral trade stood at USD 4.5 billion in 2011-12. The Ambassador said that huge opportunities exists in Turkey for Indian business community in sectors like infrastructure, IT and automobile.

    He also emphasised to increase cultural cooperation between the countries and urged the Indian Prime Minister to visit Turkey.

    Major imports from Turkey comprise minerals, fertilisers, nuclear reactors and machinery, while exports include pharma, manmade yarn and electronic goods.

    via Turkey seeks more air connectivity with India to boost tourism, trade – The Economic Times.

  • Turkey now a tourism magnet

    Turkey now a tourism magnet

    As the number of Indians picking out Turkey for a vacation climbs, Koray Yalkut, a tourist guide from Turkey announces, “Istanbul is just the appetizer”.

    turkeytourstravelpackagesAs photographs behind Koray Yalkut, a tourist guide from Turkey take you around Hagia Sofia and sights of the kaleidoscopic spice bazaar, he makes an important interjection: “Istanbul is just the appetizer,” he says, before speaking about the landscape, architecture and history of Turkey, which is rapidly becoming a tourist magnet.

    “If you want to see more, you have to come to our country now,” he announces after the teaser of a presentation he made, at the road-show organised by the Turkish Tourism Board along with the Turkish Hoteliers Federation to promote Turkey as a destination for ‘weddings, golf and honeymoons’.

    The number of Indians coming to Turkey is only increasing with the number touching 1,00,000 last year according to Osman Ayik, president, Turkish Hoteliers Federation. “We have one million beds and in 2011, we were the sixth biggest destination in the world in terms of foreign tourist arrivals. Our association has close to 1,600 members who cater to all kinds of budgets,” he says.

    Family destination

    Pearl Veronica Baskar, senior executive (outbound tours), Diana World Travels, one of the travel agent present at the show, observes that families are increasingly choosing to holiday abroad, as the cost of travelling to neighbouring destinations such as Sri Lanka or Bangkok is almost the same. “Turkey has history and entertainment and both families and large groups are opting to travel there. The trend has picked up in the last two years,” she says.

    “We are promoting Turkey as a stand-alone destination because there is so much to see,” says Ozgur Ayturk, culture and tourism counsellor, Turkey. According to him, though 80 percent of tourist arrivals fall in the leisure segment and 20 per cent in the MICE segment (meetings, incentives, conferences, and exhibitions), he sees huge potential for the growth of Turkey as a wedding, honeymoon and golf destination.

    “Belek has more than 16 golf courses and has also been named the best golf district in Europe,” he says. Having been host to around 15 Indian weddings so far, they are looking at raising the number at least to 50 per year. For this, other than interacting with private tour operators, they are also talking to wedding planners from India. “What sets Turkey apart is that it is still “We also liaison with wedding planners from India.

    Wedding locale

    While Istanbul and Antalya are favourites for weddings, Cappadocia, famous for its balloon rides and cave hotels is popular with those going on a honeymoon,” adds Mr. Ozgur.

    Though Turkish Airlines has daily direct flights from Mumbai and New Delhi, they are seeking permission to double their operations from Delhi and Mumbai and operate from six more destinations including Chennai. Though the months between July-August is the peak season, Turkey with its diverse climate, lends itself to tourism all round the year,” says Mr. Ozgur. And, if tourists have their documents in place, getting a visa should not take more than 24 hours, he says. For those with a valid Schengen visa, the option of getting their visa on arrival also exists, he adds. Looking to promote a long-standing relationship with India, he says that they will be hosting cultural events and film festivals.

    The road-show, saw participation from over 12 hotels and several travels agents and associations in the city.

    via The Hindu : Cities / Chennai : Turkey now a tourism magnet.