A Place For All Seasons
Posted on Friday, August 04 @ 12:48:40 CDT by editor
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 | The face of tourism in Turkey is changing as travellers move out from package-deal hotels and seek attractions further afield. Skiing, spa breaks and boutique hotels are all finding devotees - and fuelling an economic boom…
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International jazz and film festivals, skiing, spa breaks and boutique hotels... It all sounds a far cry from carpet-haggling and kebabs after a day on the beach but that's exactly how the Turkish tourism industry is reinventing itself.
The new face of this 10,000-year-old land is one that Ataturk, founder of modern Turkey, would be proud of. His vision that culture be "the foundation of the Turkish republic" is again becoming a reality, with a government-led renaissance in cultural tourism based on the country's rich heritage. It's a move that mirrors a rekindling of the Turks' own love affair with all things Ottoman, with traditional hotels and furnishings back in vogue after almost 80 years.
Tourism is now a key contributor to the Turkish economy, generating $18.5bn (£10bn) from its 21.1 million international visitors in 2005 - twice the level of 2000. It accounts for around 5% of GDP and 3% of employment and represents a crucial source of foreign currency for Turkey, currently trying to rein in a large current account deficit
Visitor arrivals have soared from 6.6m in 1994, largely due to Turkey's popularity as a low-cost holiday destination. The World Tourism Organisation ranked Turkey eighth in world in terms of tourism income in 2004. But Turkey's ministry of tourism and culture attributes the 14% fall in arrivals in the first quarter of 2006 to concerns over bird flu (which killed four people in Turkey earlier this year), protests against Danish cartoons of the prophet Mohammed and threats by separatist terrorists to target tourist spots.
The response to this downturn has been reinvigorated efforts by the travel trade to pitch Turkey against rivals such as Greece and Spain.Tourists from Germany account for the largest market (20%), with over 4 million visiting in 2005. Russia follows with 16.3% and the UK 8.3% - 1.8 million - of the market.
The US represents the fastest growing source market, with visitor numbers up 50% since 2004, though it still only accounts for 2% of the market.
Historically a strong euro has given Turkey an advantage over euro-dominated or pegged rivals such as Greece. However Matthew Brooks, head of country risk at analysts Business Monitor International (BMI) says the markets are about to work in Turkey's favour. "Essentially, after several years of strength, the lira has fallen since May as part of the emerging market shakeout, making costs in Turkey considerably cheaper than they have been since 2001."
A BMI report published in March 2006 into Turkish tourism arrivals predicts that international visitors will reach 30m in 2009, bringing some $27bn (£14bn) into the country.
| Turkey's recent moves towards developing its cultural attractions rather than simply expanding resort development come from a realisation that the future of tourism lies in diversification and sustaining visitor numbers after the explosive growth of the first five years of this decade. |  |
The Turkish government recently introduced a raft of initiatives to preserve and promote cultural and natural heritage, including a 10% allocation of real estate tax to conservation work.
The government has also provided support for the maintenance, repair and restoration of listing buildings and tax exemptions for domestic and overseas private sector entrepreneurs investing in cultural heritage conservation. A US$100m government project began in 2004 to restore the Istanbul peninsula which is home to famous attractions such as Haghia Sophia and the Topkapi Palace.
Atilla Koç, Turkey's minister of tourism and culture, hopes this incentives - combined with possible EU membership - will bring economic benefits. "Liberalisation of services and public procurement markets will provide invaluable opportunities for European companies through direct investment in Turkey," he says. The selection of Istanbul as a potential European Capital of Culture in 2010 provides a focus for such investment, says Koç. Under the banner "the city of four elements", Turkey is hoping for success when the council of ministers announces the winners this November. "Istanbul has served as a living example of confluence of civilisations throughout the ages, moulding different cultures, religions and languages. The city will be a beacon for the rest of Turkey on its way to accession to the EU."
Turkey has a foot in both Europe and Asia, with Istanbul the only city in the world to straddle two continents.
If successful, the honour is expected to make a significant contribution to the rejuvenation of the city. Koc comments: "The quality of urban life will increase in terms of conservation of historical and cultural assets, development of transport, protection against earthquakes, planning of residential areas and job creation."
Sevil Delin, managing editor of Istanbul-based lifestyle glossy 34 magazine says the city's current cachet is similar to that of Prague's in the mid-1990s. "Unlike other cities where people live segregated lives in segregated neighbourhoods, Istanbul has no borders, no boundaries. This makes it uniquely dynamic, exciting and relevant." Istanbul's unique place in history as capital of the Roman, Byzantine and Ottoman empires, combined with the country's wider heritage of 20 civilisations is widely documented.
More surprising perhaps is the "alternative" Turkey now being promoted by many in the travel trade. Geographically diverse, the country combines extensive coastline - it is surrounded by the Aegean, Mediterranean and Black Sea - mountainous areas such as Mount Araratdominated northeastern Anatolia; the Cappadocia region's lunar landscapes and cave dwellings; the rolling steppes of central and southeastern Anatolia not to mention 21 national or nature parks and two lake districts.
Extending the tourism season has been a key theme, capitalising on regional and seasonal alternatives such as winter sports, golf and the conference market, as well as the growing number of boutique hotels and spas housed in old buildings or subterranean caves. The government has designated 26 uplands as tourism centres, of which the majority are in Black Sea region. Investors and partners are being sought to develop more remote regions, including eastern Anatolia, which is being promoted in an initiative with the EU.
Jean-Bernard Carillet, co-author of the Lonely Planet guide to Turkey, says: "Nobody thinks of Turkey as a place for skiing but there's great potential, as well as hot springs and spas. Most Brits go to Anatolia but miss out on Cappadocia's striking combination of superb volcanic landscape and rock hewn churches."
Coastal tourism has been dominated by all-inclusive resorts, leading to calls for more middle-market hotels, shopping outlets and restaurants. There has been a flurry of new hotel activity, partly fuelled by the government's privatisation strategy, with overseas investment by Radisson SAS, Raffles International and Barcelo hotels as well as Turkish-owned projects such as Kayi Group's Adam & Eve chain, promoted through sister companies in Germany, Poland, Russia and Holland.
Meanwhile, Turkish group Rixos Hotels is developing the world's fourth Disneyworld resort in southern Turkey, which might help to grow domestic tourism and the family market that some in industry say is being overlooked.
Turkey is home to annual film, jazz and arts festivals and last year hosted its first Formula 1 Grand Prix, which attracted 50,000 international visitors to Istanbul. Özdemir Erkan, general manager of Istanbul's LaresPark Hotel, part of the Ciner group says: "Conventions and meetings are very important for us. Big events like Formula 1, which has a large audience potential in Istanbul, has made tourism accelerate in this city."
Source: Guardian Newspaper
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