Turkish delight

zoom

Istanbul's Grand Bazaar offers an array of purchasing possibilities including colourful ethnic shoes.

Istanbul, the largest city in Turkey, has a unique east-meets-west cultural heritage that is proving appealing to more and more Middle East travellers.

Turkey's largest city, Istanbul (formerly Constantinople) once commanded an empire.

It is Europe's most populous city and effortlessly entwines elements of a modern cosmopolitan hub with rich culture and history.

Napoleon once said: "If the earth was a single state, Istanbul would be its capital", referring to the city's unique location.

It sits in the north-west Marmara region of Turkey, straddling two continents - Europe and Asia - creating a potent cultural mix that goes some way towards explaining its enormous appeal to tourists worldwide.

Turkey overall and Istanbul in particular, has witnessed a phenomenal increase in visitor numbers from the Gulf for the first five months of 2008.

Emin Kaya, the cultural and information attaché for Turkey who established a Dubai office in January, says the media coverage he has secured since his appointment combined with investment in big budget TV commercials on Arabic TV channels has driven this growth.

 "The Arab market knows this country and feels that Turkey is friendly, but from a tourism perspective, they don't know that it is a tourism destination," concedes Kaya.

"The Arabs usually go to Istanbul and in 2007, the city hosted more than six million tourists, with Middle Eastern clients accounting for approximately two percent of that figure, but it is increasing rapidly all of the time."

"In June for example, Middle Eastern arrivals to Istanbul were up one hundred and fifty three percent over the same period last year - that is a huge upturn."

Kaya claims culturally, there are "many similarities" to be found between the Middle East and Turkey.

"We are planning on hosting some cultural nights in Dubai to highlight those similarities; the things Middle East travellers will be familiar with when they visit Istanbul, but we will also to emphasise the uniqueness of the city," he says.

"There is everything you could want in a city; it has quality hotels, quality shopping, a great culture, fantastic and comprehensive facilities for children, amazing nightlife - it's the best place in the world."

Shopping selections

Istanbul has an enormous reputation as a shopping destination with stores selling luxury brand names galore. In addition there's the world-famous Grand Bazaar, a labyrinthine city-within-a-city comprising more than 400 streets.

The more exclusive shops are situated along Kapaliçarsi Caddesi, which leads up to the Nuruosmaniye entrance to the Grand Bazaar.

For handicrafts, ceramics, and gifts displayed in the historic setting of an old medrese (elementary school), clients can head to the Istanbul Handicrafts Centre, Istanbul Sanatlari Çarsisi, which lies directly across from the Blue Mosque and next to the Dervis Tea Gardens.

The Istiklal Caddesi, from Beyoglu to Taksim, is a bustling promenade of cafes, clothing stores, fashion boutiques and bookstores. Recommend a stroll from Tünel to Taksim Square for clients who want to sample the latest trends and fashion offerings.

A short taxi ride away to the north-east of Taksim is the ultra trendy neighborhood of Nisantasi; arguably the most important and well known shopping and fashion centre of Istanbul.

Print | Email | Discuss this article |

READERS' COMMENTS

View all comments (0)

Have your say

Click here to post a comment

Add your Comment All posts are sent to the administrator for review and are published only after approval. ArabianBusiness.com reserves the right to remove any comment at any time for any reason. Please keep your responses appropriate and on topic.
Name *
Remember me on this computer
Email *	(Your email address will not be published)
City
Country
Subject *
Comment *
Notify me of further comments
Security Code *
Please click post only once - your comment will not be published immediately.

MORE FROM ARABIANBUSINESS.COM