| Journal: TWUK | Section: |
| Title: | Issue Date: 11/09/00 |
| Author: | Page Number: 44 |
| Copyright: Other |
From clubbing to culture – look no further…
Whether you want to lie on the beach or party all night, there’s something for everyone
Turkey’s long history combined with its location has helped it develop an envious range of holidays.
Crossing the Bosphorous into Asia, visitors gain a sense of entering the east that is like nowhere else on earth. From beaches and bazaars to discos and bars, Turkey has something for everyone.
Use our guide to sort out your classical ruins from your classy clubs.
Culture vultures
Nowhere is the cliché of east meeting west more true than in Istanbul.
And despite the problems of last year, the city is slowly winning back favour with the cultural crowd seeking a city with difference.
Travelscene chief executive Jo Monfort said while bookings are still nowhere near pre-1999 levels, he expected business would recover to previous levels within the next 18 months.
“In the past Istanbul has been rated as one of our most consistently successful short breaks and we do not believe that its long-term prospects are seriously damaged, although we have been slightly surprised at the degree of fall-off in demand,” he said.
Turkish Tourist Office director for UK and Ireland Savas Kuce was confident sales would pick up, noting that the city is best sold in the September-May period, when the weather is cooler.
Travelscene’s two-night lead-in is £342, including flights and bed-and-breakfast accommodation.
For clients who want to mix town and country, Cox and Kings offers a 12-day Treasures of Turkey tour calling on Istanbul, Cappadocia, Antalya, Aspendos, Pamukkale and Ephesus.
With an autumn lead-in price of £1,145, the tour has September 21 and October 12 departures this year. A pre-bookable two-night extension to Pergamum and Gallipoli is available from £245.
Cox and Kings Middle East and Central Asia manager Hugh Fraser said: “We took the decision to launch a Turkey product about March last year – which seemed a strange time to do it, but if the Foreign Office says it’s safe to travel, we’ll travel. What you have to remember is that Istanbul was the centre of the world for about 1,000 years. It is a must-see.”
Nevertheless, the recovery in visitor numbers, according to Fraser, has been slower than expected – especially compared with business with Cox and Kings’ Middle East mainstays, such as Jordan and Egypt.
According to Kuce, to experience Turkish culture properly “you would need at least a month to see the whole country”.
But if time and budget constraints make this unrealistic, Manos recommends Side for a cultural break. This ancient walled city was a major port in Roman times and is home to the Temple of Apollo and many other historic remains. Prices lead in at £389 for seven nights’ self-catering accommodation in the peak season.
Istanbul: the city is slowly winning favour with the cultural crowd
Dance the night away: the Halikarnas club in Bodrum has Europe’s biggest outdoor dancefloor
Party animals
Bodrum and Gumbet feature in all of the major operators’ young people’s brochures.
Club 18-30 had previously featured Marmaris, though it had to be cancelled this year due to lack of interest.
Club 18-30 general manager Andy Tidy said: “We expect to go back to Marmaris when the interest is there.
“Bodrum is doing fine though – we’re quite pleased with it,” he added.
“The resort is very much geared towards young people – it’s like a Turkish equivalent of Brighton – it has always been a holiday destination for Turks. The infrastructure was there long before we moved in.”
Accommodation suits the young people’s product too – the area has a lot of small, 50-unit type properties, often filled to the rafters with young people ‘living it large.’
Bodrum and neighbouring Gumbet have a dark sand and a shingle beach respectively, and two main clubs.
The largest – Halikarnas – has Europe’s biggest outdoor dancefloor, set in a marble amphitheatre. It is not cheap, but it heaves during the summer when the night sky is flickered by the laser light show.
Nearby M&Ms is also worth a visit. On the bar scene, Temple Bar, Whitehouse and No Names come highly recommended.
Club 18-30’s 2001 summer lead-in for the Mavi Apartments in Bodrum is £199.
Pretty picture: Olu Deniz is one of Europe’s most photographed beaches
Pretty picture: Olu Deniz is one of Europe’s most photographed beaches
Beach bums and family fun
According to Turkish Tourist Office director for UK and Ireland Kuce, since the 1990s Turkey has been developing its beach product beyond the young people’s market. Families are a concern.
This is reflected in a number of operators’ programmes. JMC enhanced its Turkey product for the summer with improved Kidsworld facilities at the three-star Club Pomelan in Cesme. The all-inclusive property has a seven-night summer lead-in of £405 per person, with kids’ prices from £109. The second-edition brochure also introduced Action-plus branded accommodation at the Hillside club and Club Lylia World, geared towards offering more sports and activities
If your clients just want to fly and flop, steer them towards OluDeniz. Popular with families, Olu Deniz is one of Europe’s most photographed beaches. Manos offers seven nights’ bed and breakfast at the two-star Tower Hotel from £434.
For families, Manos also recommends Turunc for its stunning scenery, beaches, peace and quiet and variety of shopping, eating and drinking options. Prices lead in at £244 per person.
Mark Warner remains confident for this year after a not-too-damaging 1999.
Group marketing manager Nigel Ragg said: “We’ve had strong bookings at the Club hotels Palm Beach and Altinel. This is set to improve as the millennium hangover has caused a trend in late bookings.
“Late bookings will increase occupancy levels in September and October to 85%. This is a marked increase of 50%compared with the same time last year.”
This year saw the reintroduction of the Palm Beach Club hotel on the Bodrum peninsula, which has revamped its children’s facilities to include more soft toys, play mats, high chairs and prams. ‘Konfidence’ buoyancy jackets are also available for kids to increase poolside safety.
For the luxury end of the market, Valtur is an Italian operator specialising in all-inclusive holiday villages.
Its UK representative, Cadogan managing director Gary David, said the product is aimed “firmly at the Club Med market.”
Its four-star property in Dalaman leads in at £619, with children’s places from £453.
Sporting chancers
It might take a while for the Turkish Tourist Office to get the country’s ski resorts featured by any UK operators, nevertheless, the country does offer a range of sporting options.
Golf is an important developments, judging by the tourist office’s decision to advertise in the UK’s Golf World and Golf Monthly.
Alternative Travel, which reported good bookings for this year, offers a 2001 peak season lead-in of £669 for a week at the Tat Beach Golf Hotel in Belek, Antalya. The price includes flights, transfers, half-board accommodation and four rounds of golf on the Tat Beach course.
Airtours has introduced Belek for next year with a lead in of £379, based on seven nights’ half-board staying at the Club Asteria.
Away from golf, the Imaginative Traveller offers tours from seven to 24 nights’ duration. A 15-night guided Wild Turkey Adventure, featuring three days trekking in the Lycian mountains, a day canoeing on the Imagi River, as well as hiking in Cappadocia, starts at £515 in the low season and £545 in the high, excluding flights, but including internal transport, accommodation and most meals.