New flights from Turkey to Argentina

Turkey national airline carrier, Turkish Airlines (THY) has announced that from June there will be flights available to Argentina from Turkey.

CEO of Turkish Airlines, Temel Kotil said that the new flights will see Turkish Airlines planes fly into the Argentinean capital Buenos Aires. Kotil said: “There is very good business awaiting us.”

Buenos Aires is the second biggest city in South America with more than 13 million people living there, Kotil said that the new flights will leave from Istanbul four times a week and arrive in Buenos Aires on a connection from Sao Paulo, Brazil. Kotil also said that further plans are in place that will see daily flights between Turkey and Argentina.

Turkish Airlines has seen a substantial period of growth in recent years that has seen the number of flights from Turkey to global locations increased year on year. Revenue for the company increased by 35 percent in the first three quarters of 2011 over the same period in 2010 while the total number of passengers increased by 11 percent to more than 24 million in total.

The new flights from Turkey to Argentina will see a further increase in tourists in Turkey and passengers flying to Turkey, aswell as people continually looking to move to Turkey.

The Guardian votes Istanbul one of the best places to live

An article in The Guardian newspaper has placed Istanbul among the best places to live in the world.

The small district of Cihangir in Istanbul was ranked in the top 10 places to live alongside Portland in the United States, Hamburg in Germany, and Maui in Hawaii.

Regarding the current state of Istanbul, the article read: “On account of Turkey’s wooing of both the EU and East Asia, the past decade has seen the city turn from lovely-if-decrepit museum piece to lovely-if-decrepit museum piece with great bars, economic growth and an ok public transport system.”

Cihangir itself is a marvellous district within Istanbul. According the article in The Guardian: “I’d consider moving here for the views alone.” Within Cihangir you can expect amazing views over the Bosphorus. The article reads: “With culture and economics so shifted to the east, this feels like where the world begins.”

With Istanbul ever growing and developing as a city, the future for Istanbul looks brighter than ever – with the city tipped to become an investment hotspot in the future and a business centre for technology.

The voting of Istanbul as one of the best places in the world to live follows the recent trend that has seen real estate in Istanbul sales going up as more and more people look to buy property in the cultural colourful city of Istanbul.

New airport to be built in southern Turkey

A new airport is set to be built in southern Turkey after the final permission was given by the Turkish government for the start of the project.

The Cukurova Regional Airport project will see a new airport built that will serve Cukorova, Adana, and Mersin. The airport will also be capable to handle more than 30 million passengers per year in Turkey.

Built by Sky Line and Zonguldak Private Aviation Consortium, the airport will cost approximately 357 million Euros to build with no time frame yet on when the airport will be ready for use.

The need for more airports in Turkey follows the recent impressive statistics that show that the number of people travelling to Turkey each year by means of flying is increasing at a rapid rate. Tourism in Turkey is on the up massively, and the need for more airports to handle the inflow of passengers has led to development of new airports such as this.

More than 30 million tourists visit Turkey in 2011 – what this means for Property in Turkey

Data released from Turkey’s Ministry of Tourism and Culture has revealed that Turkey attracted 31.4 million foreign tourists in 2011, up 9.8 percent over 2010.

The data shows that Turkey has steadily increased as a popular destination for tourists over the years, increasing year on year. In 2009 more than 27 million tourists visited Turkey while in 2010 the number was topped at 28.6 million – 2011 was the first time Turkey has topped 30 million foreign tourists and signals the current strength of the Turkey tourism market.

More than 10 million of the total visitors to Turkey in 2011 entered Turkey through Antalya. Antalya is a hotspot for tourism in Turkey and foreign nationals flock year round to the picturesque quality of life to be had in Antalya.

Second to Antalya was Turkey’s biggest city and hub of the nation Istanbul which attracted more than 8 million tourists in 2011. With so many foreign nationals heading to Istanbul and Antalya, it is no coincidence that property in Istanbul and property in Antalya has seen a boost as more foreigners look to settle in Turkey and buy some property in Turkey for that lavish and colourful lifestyle that Turkey offers.

A number of investors are utilising the increasing number of tourists to places such as Antalya and Istanbul and buying a villa in Turkey that they can then rent out to tourists who are coming thick and fast to Turkey with rental yields in Turkey being much more impressive than say rental yields in former hot spots for property such as Spain or Portugal. In Turkey you can expect to see at least a six percent rental yield every year on your property, making buying property in Turkey a luxurious business for those looking to make money and invest in property in Turkey.

The year 2012 looks set to further stamp Turkey’s authority as the premier location for property investment in the world. 30 million tourists travelling to Turkey every year – they certainly need a place to stay and what better way to experience Turkey than renting a luxury villa in a prime location such as Antalya or Fethiye.

As we look to the future, one thing is for certain – Turkey property is on the rise and rising fast. The economy in Turkey has been one of the major factors in the Turkish property market seeing such success of late. While the rest of Europe struggles under the weight of the failing Euro – Turkey rises above with a strong economy and an exotic location for tourism and investment. The foreign attitude towards Turkey is shifting, Turkey is an attractive location for summer holidays and many more foreigners in the future are set to travel to Turkey to experience what Turkey offers. In the last two years the number of tourists visiting Turkey has jumped an enormous 4 million; with 30 million tourists in 2011 surely it will not be long until we see Turkey hitting 40 million tourists per year.

New mall to be built in southeastern Turkey

A United States based company is to build a new mall, aqua park, and hotel in the southeastern province of Mardin in Turkey.

Costing a huge USD 36 million to build, Chief Executive of the company MG Consulting, Martin Carver, said why the company chose to invest in Turkey rather than other nations: “Upon meeting with some local businessmen in Mardin, I have decided to invest in the project. I see no economic growth in European markets. That is why I would rather invest in Turkey.”

The shopping mall project in Mardin will total an area of 54,000 square metres and have an aqua park, a further sign of the incredible growth and development of Turkey in recent years compared with the struggling Eurozone that seems to be crumbling. Carver said: “After completing the mall and aqua park project, we will also start the construction of a five-star hotel with nearly 300 rooms.”

The last few years have seen a great deal of development in Turkey that has led to Turkey becoming one of the hot spots for investment potential in the world. Hotels, malls, real estate in Turkey – everyone is heading to Turkey for investment. Previous favourite spots for investments in Europe are no longer viable as the Eurozone struggles with a weak euro. Turkey on the other hand is on the rise as the Turkish economy booms and investors look to ride the wave of success coming out of Turkey.

Jumeirah to run hotel in Istanbul

The largest luxury hotel company in the Middle East, the UAE’s Jumeirah Group has signed a deal that will see the group run the historic Pera Palas hotel in the Beyogludistrict of Istanbul.

The hotel,the oldest luxury hotel in Istanbul, more than 100 years old, will be managed by the Jumeirah starting from 2012. The Jumeirah are famously known around the world for their 7-star Buri Al Arab hotel in Dubai – it’s safe to say that the Pela Palas is in good hands.

Pela Palas had recently been renovated by its owner, Demsa under the Sabanci Group. The deal will see the Jumeirah increase their portfolio of hotels managed worldwide with the acquisition of the Pera Palas.

Hotels inIstanbul are known for their luxury and high standards. Tourism in Turkey is continuing to rise are more foreign tourists look to Turkey over traditionally favoured hotspots. Hotels in Istanbul are in demand and the Pera Palas will surely maximise its potential under the Jumeirah in 2012.

More Arab tourists set to flock to Turkey

Bursa, the north western city of Turkey has aims to attract at least 500,000 Arab touristsin 2012 as more Arabs look to Turkey as a tourist destination.

Statistics show that last year more than 800,000 tourists visited Bursa in total, with 300,000 of them coming from Arab nations. Mehmet Akkus, chairman of the South Marmara region of the Association of Turkish Travel Agents (TURSAB) said that the organisation wants to make Bursa the capital for tourism of the Middle Easst by 2013.

Akkus said: “Bursa will host a Turkish-Arab tourism gathering in April 2012 at which representatives from 22 Arab countries will attend.”

Bursa is home to many cultural buildings and picturesque settings, as well as mosques. Arabs are looking more to Turkey as the unsteady political states in the Arabworld are no longer attractive for people in the region to travel to, Turkeywith its secure political state is welcoming more and more Arab tourists eachyear.