A New Destination
Turkey boasts one of the most rapidly growing tourism industries in the world
. Its incredibly rich culture and history, and temperate climate coupled with the greater number of cheap flights to Turkey has made it into one of the most popular places to visit.Statistics from the Turkish tourism board report an 11% rise in visitors in the month of August this year compared to August last year, with the number topping 3.5million for the first time. Of that number Britain provides just under 10% of visitors, coming in third only to the Russian Federation, and Germany provided the most, with over 500,000 Germans visiting Turkey in just one month.
The most interesting thing about these figures is the location to which most of these people were travelling. Many would expect Istanbul, once known as Byzantium, and previously Constantinople, to be the major destination. It is one of the biggest cities in the world, and with over two millennia of being one of the major cities in the world is rich in culture and history, both from the East and from the West. It is not Istanbul, however, which is the main attraction (it takes only 19% of visitors) but rather Antalya that takes the majority of the visitors, with nearly 1.5million visitors in just one month.
Antalya is found in the very south of Turkey on the Mediterranean coast. Like much of Turkey it has been inhabited for thousands of years, in fact, there is evidence of settlement in Antalya for 150,000 years. The coastline is stunningly beautiful, and despite the temperate climate there is even a ski resort nearby. Antalya is home to the chimera flames, which are claimed by many to be the source of the chimera myth, and there is a lot of evidence of Hellenistic civilisation throughout the city and the province that bears the same name.
Tourism in Turkey is growing all the time, and the money that is being brought in has resulted in even better facilities for tourists being developed, in the Antalya region there are no fewer than five major golf facilities operating in just one small area named Belek. There are hundreds of hotels opening all the time, ranging from five star luxury hotels to cheap hotels and hostels; anything that one could want for their holiday, whatever they were looking for
Turkey is an excellent destination for a holiday, though perhaps not in the height of summer when the temperature can get very high and there are large numbers of tourists. Anyone wary of Turkeys reputation as a dangerous destination for tourists really shouldnt be put off visiting. Such a reputation is rather unfair; just arm yourself with a decent travel insurance policy and a bit of common sense.
by: David Davies When Camping Abroad The Caravan Holidays A French Cycling Holiday Beyond The Guidebooks: Five Tips For Visiting Iceland The Acropolis Of Athens A Special Romantic Occasion To Celebrate? Go To Sardinia... Air Ambulance India Asia Australia Europe UK USA Worldwide Is The Property Market Still In The Doldrums? Dress Up In Top Black Costumes For This Halloween Rocket French Premium Torrent Betting at Baccarat Reaping The Benefits Of Travelling To France With Eurostar Deals Really Cheap Airfares With Jet Airways