There's no better time
to travel than during a global financial meltdown. Price wars between airlines
have led to plummeting ticket prices, and posh hotels are practically giving
away their beds. Promotions on all kinds of products – ranging from hot
chocolate to haute couture - make it possible for even unemployed bankers to get
a taste of the good life. We asked our local bloggers to uncover the best deals,
and to tell us about the simple and inexpensive pleasures that can always be
found in their cities. With cheap tickets and insider advice, there's no reason
why a shrinking economy should stop you from expanding your
horizons.
Istanbul
Photo: Fatih Pinar
Written by Ayla Albayrak
Smiling tourists, historical monuments and in-your-face oriental kitsch. This is the Sultanahmet that I know, and I am happy to see that the historical center of Istanbul is still vibrant despite the global financial crisis.
Wishful thinking or not, Turks are expecting tourism to survive through the bad times. "Tourism will never die out here", boasts a young guy named Ihsan Aslan to me and my photographer friend Fatih Pinar.
Aslan sells hand-made olive oil soaps, small bags of lavender and other scented goodies in a tiny shop in Sultanahmet.
"Of course we are a little worried now, but after all this is a cheap city for an European traveler and it has lots of historical sites and interesting things going on,” Aslan says.
Photo: Fatih Pinar
Like the rest of the world, we in Turkey are being fed with bad news about the state of the economy, how it leads to the closure of hundreds of factories and companies, causing thousands of lost jobs. But the tourism industry last year was unexpectedly good.
According to the Turkish Ministry of Culture and Tourism, Istanbul in 2008 attracted more visitors than ever – almost 7.5 million tourists. Not bad for a city of 12 million inhabitants!
Some in the business want to believe that Turkey may even do better during the recession because the country is cheaper than its biggest rivals Greece and Spain. Surely Europeans will still need some sun, sea and sand on their summer holidays and Turkey has plenty of this plus amazing historical and natural sites. Turkey also relies on its relaxed visa policy that especially attracts Russian travellers and others from outside the EU.
Photo: Fatih Pinar
I meet the Russian couple Mikhail and Tatyana in a cosy café in Sultanahmet where they play backgammon and smoke waterpipe (nargile).They tell me that the free visa was an important factor as to why they decided to visit Istanbul. They just didn't have to cope with time consuming paperwork, but just buy the ticket and go.
Mikhail and Tatyana are very happy with their decision to spend their holiday in Istanbul. "The weather could have been better, though!" they laugh.
Istanbul has been bombarded with rain lately. Luckily, Mikhail and Tatyana managed to see the sun on Istanbul the last day of their visit. It came out shyly in the afternoon, coloring the dome of Hagia Sophia in pink and gold.
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Ayla Albayrak is a Finnish-Turkish journalist living in Istanbul. During
her five years in the city, Ayla has covered all kinds of stories
ranging from culture to Turkish economy and politics.
Currently
writing a travel book on Istanbul, she roams around the city with a
growing fascination and respect for its beauty and long history. Istanbul is never "conquered" - just as Ayla thinks that she knows
every part of the city, Istanbul reveals another surprise!
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