Dinah Hatch looks at Turkey operators’ summer 2008 holiday brochures. Read how cultural attractions are helping the Turkey market mature in the first part of this feature.
Cosmos
Cosmos is offering free child places across Antalya, Bodrum and Dalaman in a bid to target the early booking market.
New hotels for summer 2008 include the Lykia World Antalya, with prices leading in at £755 per person, including seven days’ full-board accommodation, flights and transfers; and the four-star Hotel Royal Asarlik in Gumbet, offered on an all-inclusive basis with lead-in prices of £439 per person.
Cosmos also offers the five-star Spice Hotel and Spa in Belek for the first time, which has oriental themed accommodation on an ultra-inclusive basis.
Facilities include a water park and the Spa-Ice Health Club. Prices start from £625 per adult including flights, transfers and seven nights’ all-inclusive accommodation. Also, the addition of two flights from Gatwick to Dalaman, take the weekly tally to five.
Anatolian Sky
Anatolian SkyAnatolian Sky has totally redesigned its brochure with more detail about the holidays and accommodation than in previous editions.
One of its main focuses this year is on families with young children. It has improved services by including private transfers with age-appropriate car seats, a choice of recommended family hotels and a babysitting service in popular family resort Olu Deniz. There is also a range of accommodation that has suitable family entertainment and facilities for older children.
New luxury hotels in the brochure include the design-led Oyster Residence in Olu Deniz, the exclusive Serendip Select, which sits on a quiet bay in Kumlubuk near Turunc and the Four Seasons in Istanbul, the city’s former prison but now very much a luxury place to stay, in the centre of the old town.
Wings Abroad
Wings AbroadAll-inclusive specialist Wings Abroad has added 2,500 high-season seats to its Gatwick and Manchester departures programme this summer.
It is also giving agents a £5 Capital Bond voucher for every person they book for in April, which means £20 in their pockets for each family of four they book with Wings Abroad. April also sees customer discounts of up to £50 per person.
The operator will open the doors to its own new five-star, all-inclusive hotel, The Palm Wings Beach Resort, in May. The hotel has a private beach and is within easy walking distance of Altinkum.
Also new for 2008 is the removal of all administration fees that arise from changes of booking details (as long as the operator keeps the booking).
Mosaic Holidays
Mosaic HolidaysMosaic’s Turkey and North Cyprus brochure has more of an emphasis on personalised, tailor-made arrangements and offers a wider variety of trendy, design-led hotels and contemporary luxury resorts as well as some restored Ottoman residences.
Under the heading Hip Hotels, Mosaic includes properties such as Hillside Su and Marmara Antalya, both in Antalya. Seven nights at Hillside Su this spring, including breakfast and flights from Gatwick costs £549.
Mosaic’s luxury resorts include the Kempinski Barbaros Bay, where spring prices start at £798 for seven nights including flights.
The new brochure will also feature an expanded range of hotels in north Cyprus.
Olympic
OlympicOlympic is appealing to the group bookings market with one free place in 10.
It is also flagging up its low deposits of just £99 to entice early bookings.
As dynamic packaging takes hold of the industry, it has also offered customers a much wider choice of flights with plenty of daytime and weekend departures – and no supplements on many summer flights. There’s also the option to twin the destination with many Greek islands.
The enhanced Olympic Gold service is flagged as an upselling opportunity for travel agents booking trips for special occasions. It has also contracted more new properties on bed and breakfast, half-board and all-inclusive basis rather than self-catering.
