Turkey attracted 22 million foreign visitors in the first eight months of 2012 – a jump of over half a million on last year’s numbers, according to the Istanbul 2020 bid.

Istanbul is currently bidding to host the 2020 Summer Olympics, and Hasan Arat, head of the bid, believes the visitor figures prove that Turkey has a lot to offer.
“These figures highlight that more and more tourists are being attracted to Turkey’s vibrant culture, rich history, hospitable people and spectacular location which bridges Europe and Asia,” he said.
“Turkey’s tourist infrastructure has grown significantly, increasing by 67 per cent in the last ten years. By 2015, Turkey’s hotels will offer 370,000 rooms for a wide variety of budgets – and this diversity of hotel accommodation is replicated in Istanbul.”

Istanbul was recently ranked the fifth most visited destination on the globe, according to the MasterCard Global Destination Cities Index survey. Over 11 million foreign visitors are expected to visit the city this year, with many travelling from UK airports such as Stansted and Luton.

The same survey ranks Turkey’s largest city third in Europe behind London and Paris showing a 14.7% growth in visitors since the same time last year. Tourism in Turkey is expected to gather even more pace next year, attracting 33 million visitors.

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New York has topped a poll of favourite long-haul holiday destinations in new research conducted by Hayes & Jarvis, the tour operator. After a large campaign by Thai Airways the popularity of Thailand rose and it registered second on the list.

The rest of the list featured the Maldives in third, Las Vegas in fourth, Mexico in fifth and sixth was Mauritius. The top ten was completed by Dubai, Florida, St Lucia with Antigua in tenth. Japan, Cambodia and Vietnam were also shown to be in a vibrant state. Many of these destinations can be reached from Heathrow, Stansted, Gatwick and Luton airports. Buses connect all these airports to each other and provide a link to and from central London.

Elsewhere, a study by Post Office Travel Money put Sri Lanka top, for the third year in a row, as the best long-haul destination as regards value-for-money.
The survey was conducted by calculating the cost of the 12 most typical tourist items in 32 locations. This registered only £43.85 in Sri Lanka with Vietnam second with £52.37 and Bali in third at £53.48.
The dearest place to visit was South Korea at £166.92. Mexico, at £60.48, was the most economical on the American continent while Washington DC was the best value financially in the US at £75.52. Gambia with £61.14 was the best value in Africa.

Cape Town is a popular hotspot among travellers, and now it is aiming to become a green tourist destination.

The South African city is home to many natural wonders, such as Table Mountain, the Cape Floral Kingdom and the penguins seen at locations such as Boulder’s Beach and on Robben Island. Now tourism chiefs are embarking on a strategy to secure sustainability in the region. Grant Pascoe, mayoral committee member for tourism, events and marketing at the city council, said this was not just about offering offsetting options such as planting trees to those catching flights to Cape Town from airports around the world, including Stansted and Luton.

The main focus to come out of last week’s UN World Tourism Organisation’s World Tourism Day was Powering Sustainable Development, and Mr Pascoe wants to ensure that the city plays its part.
He said: “As a long-haul destination, our carbon offset needs to be particularly good to attract travellers who may see this as a critical factor in their travel decision-making.”

A number of initiatives are currently being undertaken, including a project in which 21 hotels are involved in the monitoring process towards sustainability and sharing best practice.

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Air passengers on British Airways flights could soon be able to skip the check-in desk.

BA is trialling a new system which sees passengers given the option of being automatically checked in 24 hours ahead of their flight.

Travellers on selected flights in France will be invited to take part in the automatic check-in trial. Those who are automatically checked in will be assigned a seat and receive their boarding passes electronically.
The scheme is part of a £5 billion investment by BA, and will become available to more travellers early next year.

If the trial is successful, they hope to introduce it as an option for all passengers by the end of next year.

Holidaymakers would simply need to drop off their bags and make their way to the plane.

BA claims the initiative will “change the future of airline check-in”.
The airline’s brands and customer experience managing director, Frank van der Post, said: “Customers have so much to think about prior to a trip, be that finishing up in the office or getting the kids’ suitcases packed. We’re aiming to give them one less thing to think about by giving them the choice to be checked in automatically and sent their boarding pass electronically.”

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Cinema lovers will have all the more reason to visit India when this year’s Mumbai Film Festival kicks off next month.

The programme for the 14th year of the star-studded event has been released, with more than 200 films and a special focus on Italian cinema included in the celebration of the best films from India and around the world.

Films tipped to do well include a selection of films from Kabul, featured among the Fresh New Voices in Afghan Cinema category, while the popular Rendezvous with French Cinema returns for a second year.

Indian actress Waheeda Rehman, who has starred in Bollywood films since the 1950s, is also set to receive the Lifetime Achievement Award for her contribution to the film industry.
Organisers Mumbai Academy of the Moving Image say that the 2012 festival, which runs from 18 to 25 October, will be exceptional.

“This is the best festival yet and this has been possible due to the support we have been receiving from our sponsors, government of Maharashtra, the industry and most importantly the media,” said chairman and film-maker Shyam Benegal.

“The eight days will be marked with screenings of some of the most awaited films, academic initiatives and discussions on topics governing the film industry and audience at large.”
Getting to Mumbai is easy with London Stansted just one of several British airports offering flights.

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The remote Altai Republic in Russia is opening itself up to jet-age tourism as its reputation as an emerging destination for adventure travellers grows.

The region, which is often referred to as “Russia’s Tibet”, is on the border with China, Mongolia and Kazakhstan and is isolated by the tallest mountains in Siberia, but it wants to broaden its appeal and attract visitors from all over the world.

The only commercial airport in the area added a new terminal last year and the length of the landing strip was doubled. Galina Toptigina, who built the Chui Ooz Cultural Center near her ancestral village, says tourism is vital to the region.

“With the new airport, we get different people, and we make money with this,” she said.

“We have to keep tourism in our hands, offering our tourism, our services, our handicrafts.”

Planes began taking passengers from Moscow to the Altai Republic in June and more people are likely to be enticed by the glacier-fed rivers and the Golden Mountains, which are one of nine natural areas listed as UNESCO World Heritage sites in Russia. The mountains have peaks of 4,500 metres and the traditional but exotic culture of the area will also probably draw in more tourists. Alexei Kaichi, who is a throat singer, sings the epic ballads of his native land and says the area should be worshipped.

“I truly stand for worshipping the hills, the mountain passes, and the water springs,” he said. “Because, as I was taught, every part of the land is a deity.”

Flights to Moscow are readily available from London Heathrow and Gatwick and other airports around the UK, and the Altai Republic can be reached directly from the Russian capital for those interested in travelling there.

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The Chinese island of Hainan looks set to become one of the world’s top travel destinations, a report by the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) has suggested.

Often referred to as the Haiwaii of China, Hainan’s 1,500km of coastline and investment by the Chinese Government have helped to make the island a popular area of development for the travel industry.
The WTTC report estimates that the value of tourism on the island will grow at a rate much greater than that seen currently in Dubai, predicting an increase of 13% a year for the next decade.
According to the report, the area already has a greater number of jobs in travel and tourism than Hong Kong and Macau, just three years after the Chinese authorities pledged to make the island “a world-class resort”.

David Scowsill, WTTC president and chief executive, commented: “No other destination in the world has attracted such huge investment, including virtually all the leading hotel brands.”

He said the expected rapid growth would be the result of “ambitious planning” and investment, which has seen the development of numerous upscale hotels, the expansion of the airport’s capacity and visa-free entry and duty-free shopping for foreigners.

British tourists can visit this up-and-coming destination by travelling from Gatwick airport, where Air China operates flights to the island’s capital Haikou, with airport transfers widely available.

New research has suggested the number of tourists worldwide is set to pass one billion for the first time this year.

Figures from the UN World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) show a record total of 467 million tourists travelled overseas between January and June this year, but experts say figures for the peak period of July to August have yet to be revealed. Consequently, UNWTO officials predict the total for the year as a whole will exceed one billion and John Kester from the organisation has backed that viewpoint by indicating the first half of a year only usually contributes 45% of the overall total.

“You don’t have an even spread throughout the year. In a normal year, the first six months account for a total volume of 45% of the year,” he said.
Tourism statistics have increased in every region of the world so far in 2012, with Asia boasting the strongest growth after an 8% rise on last year’s figures.
There was also 4% more visitors to Europe in the first half of this year too, suggesting more and more people are arranging airport transfers ahead of jetting off.
Experts say such rises suggest the total of 982 million international tourists in 2011 will be surpassed this year.

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Sir Elton John will perform two concerts in Korea in November, promoters have announced.

Fans of the singer-songwriter who are in the process of booking airport transfers for visits to the Asian country will want to put the dates of November 27 and 29 into their diaries, as that’s when he’ll be performing the special gigs.

The first concert will take place at the Olympic Gymnastics Arena in Seoul, with the second at the BEXCO arena in Busan.
They are part of the 40th Anniversary Of The Rocket Man Tour that Sir Elton is performing around the world, marking the first time in eight years that he has performed in the Korean capital.
He played to a huge crowd of more than 250,000 at the Olympic Stadium back in 2004 and fans will be hoping for something equally memorable this time around.
Prior to his arrival in Korea the music legend will have taken his tour to Australia, China and Hong Kong, where no doubt coach loads of fans will have been trailing him in desperation to see their hero in action.

Having begun his career as a solo singer-songwriter, Sir Elton joined forces with lyricist Bernie Taupin in 1967 and shot to superstardom as the pair penned a succession of hits.
He is now in the same category as the likes of The Beatles, Michael Jackson and Madonna in terms of the number of records he has sold – a total exceeding 250 million records that marks him as one of the bestselling artists of all time.

His most recent number one hit was Good Morning To The Night – a collaboration with Australian electro duo Pnau – which he recorded for the London 2012 Olympics.

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Israel has made it into Dorling Kindersley’s Top 10 World, a new guide to the world’s unique and unforgettable destinations.

Israel’s capital city of Jerusalem is an unparalleled religious and historical centre for travellers to gain insight to both the Jewish and Christian religions. Its Dead Sea is the world’s lowest geographical point, and the salt waters that makes up the ’sea’ offer health benefits. The geographical and biological diversity of such a small country make it a marvel for visitors.

Set to be published on November 1, the new guide is arranged by region, taking armchair travellers to diverse locations such as the Algarve, Auckland, Iceland and Israel.
The guide showcases the top 10 ‘must-see sites’ of a number of favourite tourism destinations and includes listings of the top offerings of each continent, including monuments, world-class buildings, museums, galleries, events, landscapes, beaches and much more.

The new guide also offers travellers information about hotels and restaurants at their favourite destinations.
In its presentation of the new guide, Dorling Kindersley noted that its DK Travel range has published lists of ‘top tens’ of the most popular cities and regions in the world for many years.
‘Now, we’ve gone one better with Top 10 World – showcasing the top 10 of everything around the globe in one show-stopping compendium,’ the publisher said.
The new guide will cost £25 and will be available in print and e-book versions.

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