Thursday, November 15, 2007

The number of foreign visitors to Turkey rose 25.6 percent year-on-year in October to 2.15 million, the Turkish Statistics Institute said on Wednesday.

In the first 10 months of the year, the number rose 18.3 percent to 21.1 million, the institute said.

Tourism, an important source of foreign earnings for Turkey which has a large current account deficit, rebounded this year after it was hit in 2006 by an outbreak of bird flu and a series of bomb attacks.

Visitor numbers have continued to show strong growth despite an escalation of separatist violence in Turkey and a threat from Ankara to carry out a cross-border operation into northern Iraq to deal with Kurdistan Workers Party guerrillas based there.

But income from tourism has grown more slowly than visitor numbers. In the third quarter revenues rose 8.6 percent year-on-year to $8.7 billion, after 1 percent growth in the second quarter.

Wednesday, September 19, 2007

Last week's announcement that Tepe Akfen Airports Holding (TAV) won the right to operate Gazipaşa Airport near Alanya has started an investment boom in the region as foreign and Turkish investors alike are rushing to build tourism facilities, hotels, and residence complexes. One of the upcoming projects is a golf course near Gazipaşa.

Andy Lawler, owner of Remax Star Real Estate in Alanya's Mahmutlar area, told the Turkish Daily News that last week two UK and two Irish investors combined forces and invested 100 million euros in a golf course to be built close to Gazipaşa.

"The plan is to attract new kinds of tourism to Alanya and Gazipaşa. A golf course in the area is bound to be a successful investment as at present the nearest golf courses are hours away in Belek," said Lawler, who has a minority stake in the project.

The golf course is expected to open in 2009. At present the project's paperwork is being handled by the local land registry.

The golf course consists of 100 hectars of land, 40 of which belong to the government and 60 hectars that will be bought from private owners. "The building of one course in the area will definitely lead to the building of at least two others as players of golf prefer variety," explained Lawler.


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He also noted that news of the Gazipaşa Airport opening in the near future has created a lot of enthusiasm among property developers in Alanya . "The opening of the airport will undoubtedly change the whole character of Alanya and Gazipaşa. Many people were waiting to see what would happen with the airport before investing in the region," Lawler said.

"Already now there are numerous plans to build, for example, residence complexes and five star hotels in Gazipaşa where, at present, there is a relatively small variety of upmarket accommodation facilities."

Also the taxi boat service that is planned to connect Kaş and Kalkan with Gazipaşa is bound to lead to increased numbers of visitors to the region. "It seems that in the next 10 years we will see major development in the region," Lawler noted.

The price of property has notably increased in the just the first week after the announcement of the opening of Gazipaşa Airport. "Since the announcement, we have seen a 20-25 per cent increase in real estate and land prices. For example, land plots in Gazipaşa that cost YTL 100,000 a while ago, today are priced at YTL 120,000 and even YTL 150,000," said Nükhet Davies, sales manager at Cebeci Construction in Alanya.

"Within the next six months, property prices will experience an even more dramatic rise. This is very good for the market which, for a while, was experiencing a temporary slowdown."

Omer Kargi, owner of Jasmin Real Estate in Alanya, agrees. "There's been so much talk about Gazipaşa airport, with a lot of investors waiting for this moment. We're definitely expecting another small boom in this section of this coast, and have already noticed an increase in enquiries about property for sale in Alanya "

Tuesday, September 04, 2007

Drop in real estate prices stopped in 3 cities

According to Referans's Real Estate Index, the continuous drop in Turkish real estate sale prices that had been observed since April has subsided in three major cities. Prices in Antalya, Ankara and İzmir swelled by 5 percent, 4 percent, and 12.3 percent, respectively. In Istanbul, these price increases have yet to be reflected, and in fact, prices experienced a monthly decrease of 2.5 percent. Prices in Bursa had also further decreased in July, down 3.3 percent since June.

Per-square-meter prices have increased in Ankara from YTL 1,138 to YTL 1,184, in Antalya from YTL 1,041 to YTL 1,093 and in İzmir from YTL 1,316 to 1,478 after each city had experienced a drop of 2.7 percent, 1.6 percent and 4.6 percent, respectively, this past June. Despite the dropping real estate prices, these three large cities managed to surpass their April levels.


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Jasmin Real Estate are a family owned real estate and property developer, established in the Alanya area for over 60 years. They provide the highest quality apartments, villas, hotels and land to suit all budgets. They are also registered with ALTSO (the Alanya Chamber of Commerce and Industry) the TBCCI (the Turkish and British Chamber of Commerce and Industry) and TSE (the Turkish Standard Institute).

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İzmir, Antalya zenith of the year

The upward movement in July has been the strongest since February. With the downward tendency of interest rates in February, a 15 percent increase has been noted in some provinces. As of July, figures show prices in İzmir and Antalya reaching their highest level in 2007 so far.

Thursday, August 16, 2007

Demand For Real Estate Sees 20% Increase

Demand for real estate, which temporarily reduced because of the elections, has started to revive.

This can be viewed as a result of the victory of the Justice and Development Party (AKP), which lead people to think political and economic stability will continue.

Positive climate in the markets, reduced interest rates offered by banks and stable real estate prices in foreign currency terms have led to the revival of the sector. There has been a 20 percent increase in loans and sales in the past two weeks after the elections.

Growth rate increased by 10 percent:

On the financial front, the weekly portfolio growth rate in the two weeks before the elections was YTL195 million, whereas by the end of July, a week after the elections, this rate increased to YTL220 million, reflecting a growth of 10 percent. According to bankers, many sectors including the Turkish real estate sector were at a temporary halt because of the elections. Sales dropped drastically especially in the Turkish real estate sector.

The elections and applied interest rates played a role in leading to a temporary reduction in consumer interest in buying real estate. With the outcome of the elections banks started decreasing interest rates to an average of 1.30 percent.


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Property For Sale In Turkey

Jasmin Real Estate are a family owned real estate and property developer, established in the Alanya area for over 60 years. They provide the highest quality apartments, villas, hotels and land to suit all budgets. They are also registered with ALTSO (the Alanya Chamber of Commerce and Industry) the TBCCI (the Turkish and British Chamber of Commerce and Industry) and TSE (the Turkish Standard Institute).

Alanya's Number 1 for property for sale in Turkey


Real action expected in autumn:

After the elections a 15-20 percent revival has been noted in the sector, but it is expected that real action will take place in the autumn after the presidential elections, the end of summer vacations and Ramadan. It is expected that the figure will reach 50 percent in the autumn. But experts warn that the accumulated demand will lead to price increases. Turkish property agents, who say that price adjustments will be made in September, are asking investors to evaluate the period carefully.

Finance experts say that loan usage has started to increase and that it will continue to increase also after the presidential elections. According to them, interest rates will drop as low as 1.20 percent and thus the weekly home loan growth rate will reach YTL 300 million.

Wednesday, July 04, 2007

The London-based Global Property Guide (GPG), a respected consultancy group preparing analyses and research on global property markets, determined recently that Turkey has one of the most attractive property markets in Europe.

The GPG published its research in June to assess the property markets across the European continent. Topping the list was Slovakia, followed by Turkey, Bulgaria, Romania and Hungary. The recent reforms in Turkey have revitalized its economy with the property sector in particular performing well enough to demonstrate astonishing potential. The study noted that interest rates for home loans have started to decrease recently as a consequence of the mortgage law.The report added that it seems likely Turkey’s position near the head of the list will be strengthened in the coming years. The report expressed that İstanbul and coastal areas in southern Anatolia are especially in demand by foreign investors. The last two years witnessed a considerable flow of money into these places, it said.

According to the report, features making Turkey one of the most alluring markets were its stunning gross national product (GNP) growth rates over the past five years, a reformist government and impressive housing market dynamics. Despite no capital gains tax, prices are a little high in İstanbul and the law is mildly pro-tenant, the report said. “However, coastal areas probably deserve a better rating than İstanbul,” it said.

For Slovakia on the other hand, the report assessed that housing prices are inexpensive and gross domestic product (GDP) growth has recently become strongly positive, with no increase in inflation. “Rental income tax is low, there is no capital gains tax on long-term property holdings and round-trip transaction costs are low,” it claimed. GPG officials noted that British investors have leaned most toward Turkish property markets in recent years. Particularly since the first half of this year, property investors have put Turkey at top of their priority lists.

With respect to investment in the property market, they were inclined to invest in countries with high growth potential like Turkey instead of “conventional markets” which have lost most of their appealing profit margins.

Land prices in Turkey’s coastal areas are much cheaper than their counterparts in other Mediterranean countries, but they will probably rise during Turkey’s accession process to the European Union, the report predicted. Also suggested was that Turkish property for sale along the shore will increase in value by 50 percent next year and by 100 percent in the middle term.

The report claimed that Turkey had enjoyed huge improvements in its tourism infrastructure along with increased transportation alternatives, in parallel with its extraordinary economic performance. It also advised its readers to invest in Turkey’s tourism because Turkey has a longer summer season than its rivals in Europe, has more suitable natural and climatic conditions, is cheaper and has the appropriate infrastructure.

Monday, June 04, 2007

Foreign Interest in Real Estate Market Increases

More foreigners will arrive in Turkey to invest in real estate , affirmed Jim Sanders, an American real estate agent, on Thursday.

Sanders who attended a training seminar on "new approaches and technical details in real estate valuation" in Istanbul, informed the participants on the facts about and his experiences in the field.

When assessing the real estate market in Turkey, Sanders said: "More people would come to Turkey in order to invest in real estate. Turkey's historical and geographical beauty allures people."

Sanders who said that a union will be formed in Turkey, and will gather data at the regional and national level concerning the mortgage bill and will hand their findings over to real estate experts.


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Wednesday, May 30, 2007

Real Estate Profiteering On Aegean Coast

Following the real estate scam that recently came to light in the Bodrum and Didim area of Turkey's Aegean coast, which has hurt both the pockets of foreigners and the country's reputation, buyers are being urged to exercise more caution and more official supervision is being called for.

The real estate swindle in Bodrum and Didim reached an amount close to 500 million pounds during the last two years. "The illegal real estate agents and such swindles not only result in the loss of confidence in the Turkish real estate sector but also a big amount of tax smuggling," Fikriye Kocagöz, Turkish trained real estate agents association member and Gümbet TURYAP representative said.

Speaking at a meeting of Aegean realtors, Kocagöz stated that while the number of the registered real estate agents was 1,300 in Didim and Bodrum, the number of real estate agents operating illegally was about 6,000. "At least 400 of the illegal real estate agents are foreigners. Police, officials, restaurant owners, waiter, hairdressers, political party representatives... Everyone is in the real estate business except for the old, the ill and the children. We hear that a Kenyan, settled in Bodrum, works from a home office and sell villas and plots of land. The lack of supervision is the main problem."

Kocagöz added, it was stated that the number of foreigners that applied to the police or prosecutor's office and reported to have been cheated exceeded 60. Most people cheated are designated to be from Ireland and the United Kingdom mainly, reported the Doğan news agency.

Loss of confidence in Turkish real estate sector:

Ranking third in the sales of second residence and summer homes in Europe after Spain and Greece, Turkey has lost a lot of prestige and dropped to seventh. In Didim and Bodrum, it was reported that about 13,000 villas and lots were sold to foreigners in the last year yet only 3,500 of them were officially registered and it was revealed that the deeds of the rest, supposed to be handed over with contracts, were not still delivered.


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Contract cancellations begin:

Thirty-year-old Kubilay Coşkun Atmaca, a taxi driver two years ago but now in the construction business, and his 40-year-old wife Hande Bakkal caused a big scandal in Turkey's booming coastal real estate market. The couple were selling villas with fake deeds, and managed to flee. The loss of confidence in the sector resulted in the annulment of many contracts with many construction companies.

Nokta Building Construction and Contract Limited Company Administrative Committee Chairman Cengiz Altınbaşcan stated that in the last nine months they sold 350 villas they had built in Bodrum to the Irish, English and the Danes; yet 12 foreigners have canceled their contracts in the last 3 days. "We immediately gave back the money they invested. It is a shameful period for Turkish contractors. Everyone is trying to enter the sector. The coming days will be hard times for many land owners and real investors due to the illegal sales using fake deeds. Increasing the supervision is vitally important. We never perform a sale without a certified interpreter, deed and notarized contract," added Altınbaşcan.

Foreigners being urged to be alert:

To avoid being cheated, TURYAP Göltürkbükü Representative Okan Uçar recommended that foreigners not sign any contracts without the presence of a lawyer and a certified interpreter. "In a trade that costs 80-100 thousand pounds, a good and serious investigation will cost a maximum of 600 pounds. Foreigners who want to purchase estate should obtain information from the deed office and the municipality about the land or the house they want to purchase. They should also research the people who will sign the contract. In the next 3-5 years, the negative effects of the illegal contractors and the real estate agents will become more obvious. Organizations involved in the sector and the government should take serious action. These illegal contractors and real estate agents must be severely punished," said Uçar.

Sunday, May 27, 2007

Foreigners Buy $450 Million in Turkish Real Estate Shares

In addition to direct domestic investment, foreigners are also playing an increasingly active role in Real Estate Investment Partnership (GYO) companies that are traded on the Turkish stock exchange.

The real estate sector in Turkey has taken a big leap forward in the past two years, mainly due to a demand for residences. In that time some 600,000 people have become homeowners in Turkey, motivated to capitalize on the decrease of interest on bank loans that reached as low as 1 percent. Not only consumers are benefitting. Investors have also taken advantage of the growth in Turkey's real estate sector.

This incentive-laden environment has also become attractive for foreign investors. In 2005 and 2006, they have shown interest in residences as well as commercial real-estate by investing in Real Estate Investment Partnership (GYO) companies that are traded on the stock exchange. Their share in the 10 real estate firms that are traded on the Istanbul Stock Exchange (IMKB) reached 29.5 percent at the beginning of 2007.

$445 million in foreign investment:

A total of 10 real estate companies are traded on the IMKB. Foreign investors own an important share of this amount - $230.25 million according to data from Garanti Foreign (Garanti Yabancı) and Citibank Foreign (Citibank Yabancı). When the acquisitions from Akmerkez's public offering and the changes in the partnership structure of İhlas GYO are taken into account, the market share of foreign investors is actually $445.1 million. This demonstrates that foreigner investors now own 29.5 percent of the public shares of 10 firms. The total market value of these firms has reached $1.5 billion.

The 10 real estate compainies include Akmerkez GYO, Alarko GYO, Atakule GYO, Garanti GYO, İhlas GYO, İş GYO, Nurol GYO, Pera GYO, Vakıf GYO and Yapı Kredi Koray GYO.



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Three direct partnerships:

Besides trading shares of real estate companies in the stock exchange, foreign investors are direct partners in three of these firms. Among them, Holland's Corio bought 48.12 percent of Akmerkez in 2005 and became a direct partner in the firm. İhlas GYO sold 30.69 percent of its shares to Yeşil İnşaat and the U.S. firm Rudolph Younes last August, making Rudolph Younes a 15.34 percent direct partner. Also, 50.98 percent of Garanti GYO will be picked up by Doğuş and General Electric Real Estate Europe, thereby making the foreign firm a 25.49 percent direct partner.

Interest from Gulf countries:

While Turkey's commercial real estate sector is being closely watched by foreign investors, “Middle Eastern capital is steering toward Turkey for investments," one analyst commented. "People are waiting for the mortgage system. We expect foreigner investors to become more active once the mortgage system has been established.”

Wednesday, May 23, 2007

The Turkish prime minister has stressed that his country is determined to gain accession to the European Union.

Discussions between the Mediterranean country and the EU have been ongoing for years but prime minister Recep Erdogan said that Turkey should not be discouraged by the difficulty of the process, the Turkish Press reports.

Joining the EU could have a significant benefit for the Turkish property market, as has been demonstrated this year in Bulgaria and Romania, the two countries that entered the union in January.

While the health of the Turkish property sector will be one advantage of accession, Mr Erdogan stressed that the process also has a wider significance for the global community.
"Turkey''s EU membership bid is in fact the biggest global peace project of the 21st century," he said in a speech at a conference in Istanbul.

"There will be ups and downs in our road to the EU. And we know that this path will be challenging and there may be obstacles. But we are resolved to overcome all these problems." Please visit our sponsors for more Property for sale in Turkey and Real Estate in Belek

Monday, May 21, 2007

At the Forum Istanbul meeting on Friday the real estate and energy sector met to discuss Turkey's strategies in 2023 in light of world developments.

As part of the meeting, one person emphasized how real estate sales to foreigners could increase tourism sector income.

"We should work to up residential home sales to foreigners, as it would result in an increase in tourism," Hasan Rahvalı, the general manager of Akdeniz İnşaat said.

"If we were to sell one million residential homes to foreigners, it would provide an interest free income of 250 billion euros in real estate business and inject $80 billion into our tourism sector."

700 construction sites built:

Residential home demand and cheaper home production was discussed in detail during the "Real Estate Investments and Financing Issues in Developing Strategies" meeting.

Rahvalı said the 680,000 annual increase in home demand comes from newlyweds and not the population increase. He believes that by decreasing land costs, homes can be provided for low income groups. "Turkey can solve the problem by 2023 by producing 700,000 to one million homes per year. The home loan will amount to $200 billion in 2023," he said.

Erdoğan Bayraktar, the chairman of TOKİ (Housing Development Administration of Turkey) said that since 2003, 700 construction sites have been built in 81 provinces' 313 districts. He continued to say that TOKİ started with the construction of more than 255,000 homes and are about to complete another 140,000. "But citizens with an income of YTL 850 cannot afford a home. That's why we continue building for and selling to low-income groups," stated Bayraktar.

Nazmi Durbakayım, chairman of the board of Teknik Yapı, said that homes are expensive because they cannot buy cheap land. He believes citizens should first buy the "main home" and design it according to their budgets. "We live in large homes, and plan 10-15 years in advance. Thus, the upfront investment and monthly maintenance costs are high," said Durbakayım. If we decrease the square meter size of properties, the deficit in housing would descend, he added.

Emre Çamlıbel, general manager of Soyak, said that in Turkey there is demand for 600-700,000 homes per year, and in order to close the deficit the private sector needs to get involved more actively. Uğur Dumankaya, chairman of the board of Dumankaya Construction stated that the market rules have changed. "In 2005 we were sellers, but in 2007 we play by the rules of the buyer."


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Friday, April 13, 2007

A leading property investment firm in England have stated that Turkey, in regards to property investments, is one of the most desired countries in the world.

According to a survey conducted by Assetz, a property investment firm in England and published by The Sunday Times newspaper, Poland is the most attractive country for property investment in the world.

They reported that a property investment in Poland brings 165 percent income. The next four most attractive countries after Poland are England, Bulgaria, France and Turkey.

45 percent gain:

Depending on the invested amount the income is 63 percent in England, 54 percent in Bulgaria, 51 percent in France and 45 percent in Turkey.

In the meantime, it is said that 400,000 British people are owners of property abroad. The total value of these investments amount to 52 billion sterling of which 56 percent are located in Spain and France.



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Saturday, March 31, 2007

Turkish State Railways will sell large and precious pieces of land to finance its high-speed train project. Major firms are queuing up at auction firm Eskidji that will organize the first wave of sales by public auctions

Major tourism, retailer and construction firms are queuing up for property the Turkish State Railways (TCDD) will put out for sale to finance the high-speed train project. A public auction will be organized on Apr. 12, 2007 in Istanbul by the auction firm Eskidji for the sale of 204 pieces of property belonging to the TCDD. Several firms looking for large shares of land for their new investments have contacted Eskidji.

Among the 204 pieces of property in Turkey put out for sale, there is a port in Istanbul's Zeytinburnu and a plot adjacent to the BTC filling terminal.

An auction coordinator from Eskidji said was a well known fact that the TCDD owned very precious and very large plots. "Major firms are already signing up for the auction" he said.


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Auction of the year:

The TCDD has 3,000 properties in 58 provinces that it has deemed unnecessary. The total area of TCDD properties is over 50 million square meters and among the plots to be sold are the greenmarket area in Bostancı (1,793 square meters), three duplex apartments in Altunizade's Mesa Yeşil Vadi Konutları, two plots in Bakırköy and Yenimahalle (6,784 square meters and 27,835 square meters), three plots in Büyükçekmece and Hoşdere totaling 21,082 square meters and a hotel plot in İzmir's Alsancak, 1. Kordon of 4,848 square meters.

The fact that a majority of TCDD property in Turkey now lies in city centers draws the attention of major firms. The public auction of TCDD properties will not be an ordinary auction; it will be the auction of the year, according to Eskidji executives.

The money raised through the auction will be transferred to the high-speed train project, according adding to some experts. Same experts add that the government did not have any funds to allocate for the TCDD and only with these auctions, the TCDD will be able to create its own resources for its high-speed train project.

The first sales phase will consist of properties that are needed for the project. "The corporation has several large and precious Turkish property stocks. My personal belief is that they are able to finance three more high-speed train projects," an expert told Referans.

Like an endless well:

Eskidji CEO Dikran Masis said that the real estate portfolio of TCDD was like an endless well. "We will work on this project for two years. For the first phase, we will auction the Turkish property that has been inspected, evaluated and updated and our assessments will continue for other property and we will publicize the lists as soon as the updated values are determined," he said.

"The TCDD has many plots in cities, towns, city centers, smaller settlements, wherever the railroad passes. These plots are suitable for building business centers, shopping centers and hotels. The location of the plot will determine its value. If the location is open to tourism development, then the value becomes five-fold or ten-fold," he said.


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Monday, March 26, 2007

According to research conducted by a leading foreign property investment guide, Turkey has potential for both growth of property prices and growth in demand for rental property.

According to Rhiannon Williamson, property in Turkey is "a better market" for British investors than some others that have recently proved popular. She says the region "certainly has more going for it in terms of potential for growth in terms of property prices and demand for rental accommodation". However, she also advises potential investors in a Turkish property to exercise caution.

According to Ms Williamson, the location of the property, as with any property investment, is of prime importance in terms of long-term attraction. However, provided the right property is obtained, there should be no problems with generating rental income or obtaining a good resale price.

Turkey has long been a popular destination for the British holidaymaker and offers a variety of options for both tourists and buy-to-let investors hoping to exploit the market. At its simplest, Turkey offers hot weather and plenty of good clean beaches to attract sunbathers and people who are looking for a lazy holiday lounging by the sea.



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Wednesday, February 21, 2007

Turkey welcomed just over seven per cent more tourists in January than it did one year ago, with Britons among the top ten nationalities gracing its shores, new figures from the Turkish Board of Statistics show.

The total influx of visitors amounted to 714,425 people over the month, with German nationals the most enthusiastic Turkey-lovers followed by Bulgarians, Russians, and Georgians.

The country attracted guests from diverse regions, with Britain and France figuring in the top ten visiting nationalities alongside Iran and Syria. Although air access to Turkey became significantly more popular, with 11 per cent more tourists arriving by plane, sea travel enjoyed a surge of 18.3 per cent as burgeoning numbers of tourists chose to drop anchor from the Mediterranean, Black or Aegean Seas.

The improved profile of the country''s tourist industry, particularly among British visitors, may maximise the attractiveness of the Turkish property market to investors seeking to soak up some of the unmet demand for holiday residences.

Monday, January 22, 2007

SunExpress, Turkey's leading low cost scheduled airline that was founded as a joint venture by Lufthansa and Turkish Airlines, is to launch a new twice-weekly non-stop service on Thursday, 8 February 2007 between London Stansted and the picturesque city of Antalya on the Turkish Riviera.

SunExpress will operate between London Stansted and Antalya on Mondays and Thursdays. The flights depart from Stansted at 10.30 to arrive in Antalya at 16.30 local time. Services from Antalya will depart at 07.05 and arrive in Stansted at 09.30. Flight time is just four hours from Stansted to Antalya and 4 hours 30 minutes on the return leg.

In addition to the new Antalya service, SunExpress is to introduce a second route between the UK and Turkey in March. The second non-stop scheduled service will be between London Stansted and Izmir, Turkey's third largest city and second largest port, with a connecting service to Ercan in Northern Cyprus.

The new scheduled services offered by SunExpress between London Stansted and Turkey reflect the growing popularity and demand for Turkey as a destination in the UK, especially Antalya, the Turkish Riviera, Izmir and the resorts around the Aegean Sea, all of which have a special appeal to the increasing number of independent travellers and those with second homes in the area.

Antalya is also the gateway for Belek , Turkey's premiere golf resort. Located on the Mediterranean coast 30 km east of Antalya, Belek currently boasts five golf clubs with a further 11 courses and 44 hotels in various stages of construction, with a number programmed to open during 2007. Signature course designers include Nick Faldo, Colin Montgomerie and David Feherty.

SunExpress' schedule to Antalya will give UK golfers the all-year-round option to fly out on Thursday and return on Monday after a weekend of three full days of golf in the sun. Reflecting the sporting interest in Antalya and Izmir, SunExpress offers complimentary carriage of golf and diving equipment weighing less than 30 kilos

SunExpress, which made its first flight in 1989, boasts a young fleet with an average age of under 7-years and currently operates nine Boeing 737-800s and four Boeing 757-200s. It carried more than 2-million passengers in 2006. Besides the UK, SunExpress offers non-stop scheduled services between Turkey and over 20 destinations in Austria, Germany and Switzerland, as well as a domestic Turkish network serving nine destinations. The airline has an interline agreement with Lufthansa and a code-share agreement with Turkish Airlines. SunExpress, which also operates custom-made and full charters, moved its headquarters from Frankfurt to Antalya in 1990 and in 1996 Lufthansa's shares in SunExpress were transferred to Condor, the airline of the Thomas Cook Group.

Although considered a 'low cost scheduled carrier', SunExpress' product offer includes: free beverages and non alcoholic drinks; complimentary meal plus special dietary options; seat selection at check-in; newspapers; in-flight movie & audio entertainment; 20 kgs free baggage allowance; and golf and dive equipment carried free of charge up to 30 kgs.

In the UK bookings for SunExpress can be made through specialist Turkish travel agents and operators, on "www.sun-express.co.uk", or by calling 0845 600 1521.