Turkey gearing up for Arabian tourists

ISTANBUL – A 700-page Turkish guidebook was prepared for tourists from all Arabian countries, the semi-official Anatolia news agency reported on Monday.

The report said Nizar Bitar, a Syrian businessman, prepared the guide which includes visa and transportation information and explanations on Turkish people’s habits and values.

It quoted Bitar as saying that he prepared the guide for four years after he toured thousands of kilometers of road in Turkey, and he used nearly 2,000 photos in the guide.

Bitar said the preface of the guide was written by Turkish Culture and Tourism Minister Ertugrul Gunay. The guide has seven parts and includes information for tourists from all Arabian countries to visit Turkey.

He introduced Turkey under seven regions with photos giving details about important historical and natural places as well as cuisine and traditional culture of the regions.

Turkish Culture and Tourism Ministry has set a target to host 30 million tourists in Turkey in 2010 despite a global economic crisis.

Meanwhile, Etihad Airways, the national airline of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), will increase the number of Istanbul-Abu Dhabi flights, the company’s Turkey Director General Fatos Kutay said on Monday.

Etihad Airways will conduct flights between Istanbul and Abu Dhabi five times a week as of November.

Kutay said Istanbul and Abu Dhabi became attraction centers mutually in terms of commerce and culture, adding that first Istanbul-Abu Dhabi flight would begin on Nov. 6.

The flights would be conducted every day except Tuesdays and Saturdays, added Kutay, noting that Etihad had a code-sharing agreement with Turkish Airlines.