News from Turkey

Turkish Lira hit all-time lows against the U.S. dollar. The lira hit a new record low of 7.36 against the dollar on August 7, before recovering to below 7.20 in the afternoon. 

Ukraine's new low-cost carrier; SkyUp will launch flights between Kyiv and Istanbul. Initially, the carrier will operate on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays.

Carnival Corporation, the world's largest cruise company, reinforces commitment to protecting environment by responsibly dismantle and recycle two retired ships in Turkey.

Turkish Airlines on Sunday has resumed flights between Istanbul and Kharkiv, Ukraine following a four-month break due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Gazipaşa-Alanya Airport welcomed its first scheduled international flight after the travel restrictions were lifted. Domestic flights have been running successfully since June.

Germany’s Robert Koch Institute has updated the list of countries it considers as a high-risk and announced 130 high-risk countries including Turkey, Egypt and the United States. And the Federal Foreign Office has issued an initial travel warning until August 31st.

TAV Airports, a part of the leading airport management platform globally that served 218 million passengers in 2019, announced that it could only served 11.4 million passengers in the first half of 2020.

Turkish Culture and Tourism Ministry announced the total number of tourist arrivals to the country in the first half of 2020.

Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan issued a decree on July 10 to formally declare the Hagia Sophia as a mosque.

Radisson Hotel Group expands its Radisson upscale Scandinavian-inspired brand to Istanbul in Turkey with the opening of two new hotels.

Following the temporary suspension of flights as part of the restrictions to combat the Covid-19 pandemic, Pegasus Airlines flights to Tel Aviv are resuming.

The 12th International Tourism Cartoon Competition in 2020 has announced its themes and deadline for submission.

Following the lifting of the travel bans imposed by the Turkish government in June, SunExpress has started its direct schedule flights to London from Antalya, Ankara, Izmir, and Gaziantep.

LXR Hotels & Resorts, Hilton’s collection brand for independent luxury properties, announced its latest hotel opening in a chic new destination along the Aegean Coast.