Turkey

1 Nov 2017

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Beyond stanbul

WHILE Istanbul has no
shortage of incredible
tourism attractions
and offers great value for
money, South Africans are
starting to venture outside
the borders of Turkey’s former
capital to explore some of the
fascinating areas throughout
the country.
Elisna Bergset, key
accounts sales of
Development Promotions,
says there are quite a few
destinations within Turkey that
have gained traction over the
last couple of years. “The
standout destinations within
its borders are Fethiye, Kas
and Antalya.”
Coastal history
Elisna says one thing these
destinations have in common
is that they are all coastal
towns.
“Fethiye is an ancient
port city, rich in history. The
biggest attraction here is
the incredibly well-preserved
Lycian rock tombs, including
the tomb of Amyntas, who
was the king of the ancient
Greek kingdom of Macedon in
393 BC and
the great grandchild of
Alexander I.
“Kas is very popular for
snorkelling and excellent
wreck diving,” says Elisna.
She adds that there are
several Lycian rock tombs in
the mountain wall. “These
tombs are even illuminated
at night. The town is quite
modern but it also houses the
site of Antiphellos (an ancient
port), with still-visible ruins.
“Antalya is one of the hubs
of the so-called Turkish Riviera
with beautiful beaches and
an atmosphere that has
amalgamated its modern
resorts and ancient ruins.”
Elisna points out that
G Adventures has several
tours that highlight these
destinations. “G Adventures
alone offers seven different
itineraries for Turkey, with our
trip ‘Absolute Turkey’ being
our most popular.”
Village visits and more
Theresa Szejwallo, md of
Trafalgar, says the village of
Demircidere can be found
between Pergamon and Izmir.
“It is here that travellers will
come face to face with the
most liberated women in all
of Turkey – and those who
choose to travel with Trafalgar
will be treated to a wonderful
‘Be My Guest’ lunch with
these women.”
Other destinations worth a
visit include Canakkale, Troy,
Pergamon and Izmir, says
Theresa, where nine separate
periods of settlement, and a
symbolic replica of the Trojan
Horse, can be visited.
“In Pergamon, travellers can
gain insight into Asclepius,
whose staff entwined with
snakes has come to represent
modern medicine,” she adds.
“Ephesus is where travellers
can visit the Virgin Mary’s
house, the famous Temple
of Artemis and the Great
Theatre.”

Free Istanbul stopovers with TK

TURKISH Airlines has
extended its stopover service
to include passengers
from South Africa who
are connecting in Istanbul
to a range of selected
destinations.
The airline is providing
complimentary
accommodation to
passengers who have more
than 20 hours of connection
time in Istanbul.
Qualifying passengers will
receive an accommodation
voucher from Turkish
Airlines’ staff after booking
their flights. Economyclass
passengers will
receive a one-night stay
at a four-star hotel and
business-class passengers
a two-night stay at a fivestar
hotel in Sultanahmet or
Taksim Square, which are
both central and popular
neighbourhoods in Istanbul.
The stopover service
is offered to passengers
travelling from SA to Asia, the
Far East and Americas (US,
Canada, Argentina, Brazil,
Colombia, Panama, Venezuela
and Cuba), the UK, Ireland,
Israel, Iran, Saudi Arabia,
Morocco and Tunisia.

Book it!

G Adventures is offering a 15-day ‘Turkey on a Budget’ package starting at R14 179pp. Prices are
subject to date and availability.

Beautiful Bodrum

Bodrum is known for
combining history and
culture with all the
mod cons one would
associate with a typical
beach getaway. It is
known for its large sailing
community – with many
of its picturesque vistas
dotted with sailboats of
all descriptions.
Which is why, in May
this year, LUX* Resorts
and Hotels opened its
first Mediterranean
property in Bodrum
on the north coast of
Turkey’s Aegean Riviera.
The new 66-room and
19-residence resort is in
a quiet part of Bodrum,
15 minutes from the
airport and 2km from
Lake Tuzla, which is
a meeting point for
thousands of migratory
birds and the place that
flamingos fly over.
The most popular
activities in Bodrum are
marina tours along the
modern harbour, which
has space for up to 500
boats. Visitors can stroll
along the waterfront, hire
a yacht or go on a day
cruise around the Bodrum
peninsula.
A visit to the Bodrum
Amphitheatre is a must,
as it is one of the bestpreserved
remains
of the ancient city of
Halicarnassus. It is
carved into the hillside
above the city and was
originally constructed in
the fourth century BC
during the reign of King
Mausolus. The
13 000-seat
amphitheatre is one of
the oldest in the region
and is still used for
concerts and theatrical
performances. Another
popular stopover is
the Mausoleum at
Halicarnassus, a tomb
built in 350 BC by the
Greek architects Satyros
and Pythius of Priene.
The best time to visit
Bodrum is from May
until October when
the temperatures are
warm – but during
the hottest months of
July and August, the
city’s population nearly
doubles, due to the influx
of visitors.

Book it!

Trafalgar’s Highlights of Turkey Country Explorer is priced from
R18 000pps and includes breakfast daily, the Be My Guest
lunch in Demircidere and six dinners, all on-trip transport, hotel
accommodation and airport transfers.
LUX* is offering a special ‘Stay Longer’ offer for travel to Bodrum
between May 1 and June 23, 2018. Rates for five nights’
accommodation, breakfast daily, return economy-class flights on
Turkish Airlines, including airport taxes, start at R20 400pps, and
R23 400 for seven nights. For travel between June 24 and August
31, 2018, rates start from R22 800pps for five nights and R26
590 for seven nights with the same inclusions as above.

Croatia still on the rise

Inge Dobihal, md of Austria
Connection, says Croatia
was relatively unaffected
by the refugee influx that
has impacted much of the
region. “The public seem
to be aware of this and
Croatia remains highly
popular with interest still
increasing.” Development
Promotions’ Elisna Bergset
echoes these sentiments
and says in terms of a rise
in popularity – Croatia is
probably still the stand-out
candidate.
Inge says she has seen
a particular increase in
demand for small ship
cruising. “For 2018, we
have the biggest selection
of cruise ships in all
categories, ranging from
traditional wooden motor
sailing boats to premium,
premium superior, deluxe
and deluxe superior ships.”
Depending on date and
ship category, cruise prices
range from €425pp
(R6 830) to €2 110pp
(R34 00) for the week.
The newest addition
is the M/S Maritimo – a
deluxe superior ship with
19 cabins over two decks,
featuring a 250sqm sun
deck and hot tub.

Book it!

Costsaver has introduced a new Greece trip for 2018, the
Highlights of Greece, with a three-day Aegean Cruise priced from
R2 175pppd. It includes four nights in Greece and the threeday
cruise, which begins in Mykonos and travels to Santorini,
Heraklion (Crete), Patmos and Kusadasi (Turkey).
Globus Holidays is offering an ‘Iconic Aegean’ seven-day tour,
including a three-night cruise, priced from R29 196pps. This is a
saving of R3 136pps for set departure on April 11, 2018, booked
by November 28, 2017. The company is also offering a 10-day
‘Greek Island Hopper’ package from R28 966pps, which is a
saving of R3 220pps. Set departure on April 28, 2018, booked
by November 28, 2017. Both tours start and end in Athens.

Resurgence in popularity

INCIDENTS of terror and
an influx of refugees have
resulted in a significant
amount of negative press for
the Mediterranean region, with
tourist favourites like Nice
in the French Riviera being
targeted by extremists. But
it seems to have had little
impact on South Africans’
perceptions of the region and
their willingness to include the
Med in their travel plans.
It appears that, for the
most part, South Africans
are resilient travellers and
not so easily dissuaded from
visiting countries that have
had security incidents. Janine
Pienaar, sales and marketing
manager of the Globus Family
of Brands, says her clients
are not any more concerned
about safety and security in
the traditionally popular Med
destinations. “However, having
said that, our Turkey tours with
Cosmos were cancelled in the
2017 season.”
Increasing interest
Rather than a decrease,
some operators are in fact
reporting growth. Elisna
Bergset, key account sales
of Development Promotions
says: “An overwhelming
concern would most definitely
have reflected in our sales,
but our Mediterranean sales
have increased. I think the
reason is because South
African travellers are resilient
and savvy.” She says South
Africans tend to understand,
perhaps more than most, that
it is statistically still a very
safe region.
Theresa Szejwallo, md of
Trafalgar, agrees and says,
if anything, more South
Africans are choosing to book
Med travel with established
operators as they offer a safe
and hassle-free way to travel.
“There is no doubt that the
benefits of our travel styles
have resulted in a resurgence
in the popularity of group
travel.”
According to both Theresa
and Janine, South Africans
tend to favour Greece and its
islands, with popular tours
including Mykonos, Santorini
and Athens. Elisna says the
ever-popular destinations
remain Spain and France, with
Greece, Turkey and Croatia not
too far behind.
Elisna adds that the big
up-and-coming destination for
G Adventures has been Israel’s
Mediterranean coast – with an
increase in enquiries.

Alitalia to be carved up by bidders

AFTER years of financial
woes (and several previous
bankruptcy procedures),
Alitalia filed for bankruptcy
in May.
This came after staff
rejected the airline’s
restructuring plan that aimed
to keep it in business but
would have meant around
1 600 retrenchments and
pay cuts for staff.
Since then, the airline has
continued operations and
the Italian government has
extended a further €300m
(R4,7bn) in funding.
This was in addition to the
€600m (R9,4bn) bridging
loan earlier in the year to
ensure the continuity of air
transport services until the
transfer of all business units
had been effected.
Since the bid process
closed on October 16, a
number of European airlines
have expressed interest in
buying elements of Alitalia’s
business.
Lufthansa has said it has
prepared an offer to buy
the global, European and
domestic business of Alitalia.
In a statement, Lufthansa
said it wanted to establish
a “new Alitalia, that could
develop long-term economic
prospects”.
Alitalia released a
statement that it had
received seven bids but,
aside from Lufthansa, the
only other airline that has
announced its participation
is easyJet, which also
made it clear that it was
only interested in acquiring
certain parts of the
business.
Now that the bids have
been submitted, bidders
have until the end of April to
improve their offers, followed
by a period of review that will
last between four and six
months.
Traveller impact
Most SA-based operators
contacted by TNW said
they didn’t currently use
Alitalia, so didn’t expect
there to be much impact
on SA travellers, whatever
the outcome might be. At
this stage, Alitalia hasn’t
cancelled any flights, and
has even added extra flights
to some destinations like
Maldives, Croatia and India

Book it!

G Adventures is offering several great Mediterranean specials. The eight-day ‘Sailing-Croatia – Split to Dubrovnik’
starts at R17 119pp, while the eight-day ‘Israel and Beyond with National Geographic’ starts from R27 879pp.
The seven-day ‘Mediterranean Express’ starts from R15 359pp. All prices are subject to date and availability