News from Turkey

Wyndham Hotels & Resorts announced plans to further expand its La Quinta® by Wyndham brand with the addition of two new hotels in Turkey.

Istanbul Foundation for Culture and Arts (İKSV) announced to be among the grantees of the International Fund for Cultural Diversity (IFCD), established under Article 18 of the UNESCO 2005 Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions.

SunExpress is restructuring its business to focus more on the Turkish tourism market. A joint venture between Lufthansa and Turkish Airlines, SunExpress has decided to concentrate its operations on leisure flights to and from Turkey, as well as on domestic Turkish air traffic.

Turkey's Culture and Tourism Ministry announced tourist arrival figures for May 2020. Due to the pandemic, the number of foreigners visiting the country dropped by a record - 99.26 percent in May when compared to the same month last year.

The UEFA Executive Committee yesterday announced that Istanbul, which was originally appointed to stage 2020 final, will now host the 2021 UEFA Champions League Final.

Following the temporary suspension of flights as part of the restrictions to combat the Covid-19 pandemic, Pegasus Airlines’ international flights will be resuming on 13 June 2020 with flights to Germany, followed by the gradual resumption of flights between Turkey and several European destinations from 15 June 2020. 

Taking all the necessary measures to provide passengers and crew with healthy and safe flight experience, SunExpress gradually started international flights as of June 10 with special permission granted by the civil aviation authorities.

Hilton Hotels announced four new hotel openings in Turkey. The new hotels belong to Hilton’s fast-growing upscale hotels brand DoubleTree by Hilton and Hilton Garden Inn, and Hampton by Hilton, the global upper-midscale brand known for its commitment to providing unmatched guest service.

Following the temporary suspension of flights on 28 March 2020 as part of the restrictions to combat the Covid-19 pandemic, Pegasus Airlines relaunched domestic flights on 1 June 2020 and as of today, 4 June 2020, will be operating 39 domestic routes to 27 destinations in Turkey.

Following a two-month travel ban to avert the spread of Covid-19, SunExpress will gradually resume its domestic flights on June 1, taking all necessary precautions to ensure the safety and well-being of its passengers and crews.

A major new report has revealed Turkey continued its strong bounce back in 2019, and that its Travel & Tourism sector will be vital to the country’s economic recovery.

TAV Airports signed a share purchase agreement to buy Almaty Airport, the main gateway of Kazakhstan. It marks the 15th airport in TAV’s global network.

Entrepreneurs everywhere are constantly looking for ways to gain an advantage over their competition. It may come in the form of an innovative new product, offering consumers something that none of their rivals can.

Turkish Statistical Institute (TurkStat) announced Turkey's tourism income for the first quarter of 2020. The country's tourism income dropped 11.4% compared to the same period last year, amid worldwide travel restrictions due to the coronavirus outbreak.