Istanbul lures young romantics
Â
Yanıyor Mu Yeşil Köşkün Lambaları!!s
Eman and Nizar during their honeymoon in Istanbul. More and more Arabs want to spend memorable times in the famous Turkish city.
Eman flashed a smile as her husband of three days Nizar took her picture while she was standing among the pigeons of Beyazit Meydani in Istanbul.
She then walked slowly towards him, took the camera and gave it to their Turkish taxi driver so that he could take a picture of the young people as they stood facing the 85 metre- high Beyaz1t Tower and with the famous Beyazit mosque in the background.
Eman, a fresh university business graduate, and Nizar, a banker, are among the thousands of Tunisian couples whose favourite honeymoon destination today is the former Ottoman capital.
The beauty of the city, but also dreams about a magical romance similar to the ones lived by the heroes of the Turkish series being broadcast by Arab television, deeply influence the options of eager couples planning their honeymoon.
“Istanbul is now associated with very happy memories that we shall always recall with fondness. It is a highly attractive city with hundreds of monuments that combine beauty and history.
The weather is splendid and the hospitality is often gracious,” said Nizar who was born in Paris and raised in Tunis, the Tunisian capital.
“We Tunisians have lots of affinities with the Turks and there is always a strong feeling of brotherhood that bonds us at all levels,” he added.
His wife, with the intricate wedding henna drawings on her hands still visible, agreed.
“Turkey is one of the few countries around us that do not require visas and this is very important because we are not ready to stand in long queues under the sun waiting for the services of a European embassy to scrutinise our papers and then decide on whether we are good enough to deserve the famous approval stamp to enter their countries,” said Eman.
“The procedures at some of the embassies are really harsh and the treatment by the staff is singularly tough. Applicants have to be extremely patient and stoic in order to have their papers approved.”
Despite the economic crisis affecting Turkey, Istanbul remains relatively cheap. “We compared prices between Turkey and Spain, one of the most affordable countries in Western Europe, and Istanbul seemed to be a clear winner. For a young couple like us, this is a very important factor,” Nizar said.
The honeymoon trip usually lasts between one and ten days, with the tour operator taking care of all details before the contract is signed and the ticket is purchased.
The schedule invariably includes visits to at least two mosques and a trip to the Princes Islands, the islands that were once a place of exile, but now provide a balmy escape from the overheated city.
The archipelago splattered in the Sea of Marmara which hosted Spaniards fleeing the Inquisition, at the invitation of Sultan Beyazid III, is a must-see for young couples seen cruising together with seagulls swooning in the ferry’s wake while the lovers breathe the blessings of clean salty air and admire beauty unfolding.
Yet another dream for young Arabs visiting Istanbul on their honeymoon or in families is the possibility of meeting or seeing their superstars K1vanç Tatl1tu, Songül Öden, Necati amaz, Oktay Kaynarca or Özgü Namal.
The actors and actresses as well as the settings of the Turkish series that have been shown on Arab stations are now hugely popular throughout the Arab world and have prompted a hike in the number of visits to Istanbul by Arabs. Turkish authorities said that more than two million Arabs chose Turkey as their vacation destination last year, and the trend is believed to increase with the tremendously popular “Valley of the Wolves,” a series that features stunning views of the Bosporus and other Istanbul sites.
Last month, tourism agencies in Turkey said that the number of tourists from the Middle East and North Africa to Turkey was up between 20 and 50 per cent in the first six months of 2009, even though the country’s year-on-year tourism revenues in the second quarter declined by 9.6 per cent.
“The number of tourists from Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia, Egypt, Bahrain, Qatar, Lebanon, Iraq, United Arab Emirates, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and Sudan went up in the first six months of the year, with the total number of tourists visiting Turkey reaching 10,600,000,” the agencies said.
“We had a 38 per cent rise in number of tourists visiting Turkey via our company despite the swine flu and economic crisis,” Serdar Ali Abet, the owner of Karnak Tourism bringing tourists from Middle East, was quoted as saying by Turk Net.
