Bus crash leaves 16 tourists dead

Istanbul - Sixteen Iranian tourists were killed and 32 injured when their bus careered off a bendy road in eastern Turkey, state news agency Anatolian said on Tuesday.

Turkey to spend $320 mln to strengthen tourism

The Turkish Tourism Ministry and the private sector will contribute a budget of $320 million to strengthen Turkey’s tourism sector and expand to new markets via advertising.

Turkey battles fire near tourist hubs

ANKARA — Strong winds on Sunday hampered around 1,300 firefighters battling to control a major fire sweeping through woodlands on Turkey's Mediterranean coast, officials said.

Istanbul double bombing kills 15, injures 154

Istanbul, Turkey — Two bombs exploded in Istanbul overnight, leaving at least 15 people dead and 154 others wounded, officials announced.

Turkey to play key role in cruise tourism

The annual average number of cruise travelers from the United States to Turkey is about 11 million, while the annual average number of those from Europe is about three million.

Turkey, not Spain, is Brit’s top vacation spot

ISTANBUL, Turkey (eTN) - For the first time in 40 years Spain is no longer the most popular destination for British summer holidays, if latest figures are to be believed.

Tourists' flight to wrong country

A family who were bound for a week's holiday in Lanzarote are back home after a check-in desk mix-up meant they caught a flight to Turkey instead.

Kurdish rebels release kidnapped German tourists

Turkey's foreign ministry says Kurdish rebels have released three German tourists who were kidnapped earlier this month in the east of the country.

PKK says kidnapped tourists well, urges Germany to back Kurds

The Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK, said the three German tourists it kidnapped last week are well, and urged Germany to end a crackdown on Kurdish groups.

Turkey's brand under attack

ISTANBUL, Turkey (eTN) - The shootout near the US consulate here yesterday is another obstacle in the country's long journey to be perceived as a safe tourism destination.

PKK kidnaps 3 German tourists in east Turkey

ISTANBUL - Kurdish guerrillas have kidnapped three German tourists on a climbing expedition in eastern Turkey, a local governor was reported as saying on Wednesday.

Turkey attracts more foreign visitors

ISTANBUL, Turkey (eTN) - Turkey has seen a significant increase in the number of foreign visitors in the last year, new figures have revealed.

Turkish private airline restarts regular flights to Nothern Iraq

ANKARA - A privately owned Turkish airline announced that it would launch regular flights between Istanbul and the northern Iraqi city of Arbil starting from June 29, local newspaper Today's Zaman reported on Monday.

Turkish Airlines reports 260% profit increase

ISTANBUL, Turkey (eTN) – In the days when airlines are hardly staying in business because of skyrocketing fuel prices, one airline seems to have figured out a way to go the exact opposite and actually turn in a profit.

Turkish Airlines (THY) reported a first-quarter net profit of $104 million, which it said represented a 260 percent ... read more

Arab tourists big spenders; British, Russian tourists frugal

A study published in a Turkish-language magazine on travel and hotel management suggests that German and Arab tourists visiting Turkey tend to spend significant sums while Russian, British and Spanish tourists tend to spend less.

Turkey eyes Scandinavian market

Istanbul, Turkey (eTN) - Representatives of Turkey’s tourism sector have expressed their desire to tap the Scandinavian market. This development comes following Turkey’s successful participation in a tourism fair in Gothenburg, Sweden.

Turkey plots to steal Spain’s golf tourists

As Turkey makes plans to add 100 new courses, Spain’s tourism sector can expect some competition.

At the last count, Spain had over 350 golf courses, attracting so many wealthy tourist to areas such as the Costa del Sol that golf generated €900m in the Málaga province alone in 2006.

Turkish tourism minister wants tax plan scrapped

ANKARA - Turkey's tourism minister called on his government on Thursday to abandon plans for a three percent tax on turnover of hotels, saying it would hit the key foreign-exchange earner.

Eastern Med tourism from Australia bring good news

The media including the travel industry media tends to have an almost obsessive focus on negative stories from the Eastern Med including the conflict between Israel and the Hamas-dominated Gaza Strip and the internal problem in Lebanon. While these problems are very real there remains a lot of positive news.

Call to limit Gallipoli Anzac tourists

A limit on tourists visiting Gallipoli for Anzac Day memorial services should be considered to prevent further damage to the area, an historian has suggested.

Thousands of Australian tourists flock to Turkey every Anzac Day to mark the anniversary of the landing of troops in the ill-fated Gallipoli campaign of 1915.