| Antalya | 22°C |  |
| Istanbul | 9°C |  |
| London | 5°C | |
| Moscow | 4°C | |
| New York | 7°C |  |
| Berlin | 0°C | |
| Stockholm | 2°C | |
| Amsterdam | 4°C | |
More Brits planning to holiday abroad in 2009
The number of people planning holidays abroad is set to increase in 2009, according to a new report.
Research by Travelsupermarket.com found that 1.8 million Brits are planning to travel abroad in 2009, compared to 1.5 million in 2008, which could be good news for people who have property investments abroad.
Some 18 per cent are planning to look for cheaper holiday options in 2009.
The website also named Turkey as one of the most top ten value destinations for Brits to travel to, the only other EU country named in the top ten apart from the UK.
Bob Atkinson, spokesman for Travelsupermarket.com said: "Holidays are seen by many as a necessity rather than luxury, so it’s not surprising that people are still planning to go away."
Recent research by Co-Operative travel found the top holiday destinations for Britons in 2009 include Majorca, Turkey's Lycian Coast and Larnaca in Cyprus.
More than 26 million tourists for Turkey in 2008, minister claims
More than 26 million tourists visited Turkey in 2008, tourism officials in the country said last week, the Hurriyet Daily News reports.
According to Ismet Yilmaz the Ministry for Culture and Tourism, Turkey's income from tourism topped $21 billion (£14.4 billion) last year.
The paper reported that the growth rate in the Mediterranean country was 13 per cent last year, compared with two per cent globally.
Mr Yilmaz explained: "Turkey's tourism income is almost equal to the tourism income of the whole African continent. The Mediterranean province of Antalya welcomed its ninth million tourists last month.
"The number of tourists visiting Antalya is equal to those visiting Egypt which is famous for its pyramids."
Meanwhile, the Mediterranean country of Turkey offers great value for tourists, it has been claimed.
According to the Association of British Travel Agents, the euro-free destination offers much better value against the pound for holidaymakers.
Turkey planning to expand golf tourism industry
People considering investing in property in Turkey may be interested to hear the country is hoping to attract more golf tourists.
Turkey was recently named as the best destination for golf by the International Association of Golf Tour Operators despite the fact it has only 17 completed courses in the country, reports Simple Group Property.
Large-scale plans have been announced by the Golf Federation of Turkey for over 100 golf courses to be built over the next 15 years, which are to be developed by big-name golfers including Nick Faldo and Colin Montgomerie.
It is aiming to build many courses around popular tourist resorts, which could create opportunities for property investment in Turkey.
Ismet Yilmaz, from Turkey's Ministry for Culture and Tourism, recently claimed that over 26 million tourists visited the country in 2008.
He added the country's income from tourism exceeded $21 billion (£14.4 billion), reported the Hurriyet Daily News.
Donald Trump to bring Trump Towers to Turkey
Donald Trump is to build an office, residential and shopping complex in Istanbul together with Turkey's prominent Dogan family, the Dogan Group said in a statement.
The project is the latest in a string of major real estate projects in the fast-growing city, many of them incorporating up market shopping malls, despite a recent slowdown in the pace of economic growth.
The complex in Turkey's largest city will consist of an office tower, a second residential tower and a shopping mall. The statement did not give a value for the development.
Trump already has projects in New York, Las Vegas, Chicago, New Orleans, Dubai, Honolulu and Panama City and said the Istanbul development would be the Trump Organization's first in Europe.
"No doubt Trump Towers will bring an added value to the international brand definition of Istanbul," Yalcindag said after the signing ceremony. Turkish company Tasyapi will carry out construction work on the project, with Brigitte Weber Architects preparing the project's architectural design.
The towers are scheduled to be completed by 2010 and will cover an area of 23,000 square meters (247,600 sq ft) in the up market Istanbul district of Sisli.
Property Sales to Foreigners Finally Approved
Parliament passed a bill late Thursday regulating property sales to foreigners after it was re-arranged bearing in mind the Constitutional Court's annulment of previous legislation.
Foreigners and foreign foundations will be able to own up to 10 percent of land within a building scheme, according to the new amendment. In case of liquidation of foreign companies in Turkey, the legislation will apply certain limitations which will enable foreigners to buy land in strategic and important areas only through special permission.
The Council of Ministers will be authorized to determine the sales of land in areas of importance to water, mining and energy supplies or in religious and historical sites.
While foreign ownership of real estate in military-restricted areas will be possible only by permission from command headquarters that are authorized by the General Staff, real estate in security areas will be purchasable by foreigners only through a special permission of the related governor's office, the legislation states.
We don't sell our lands'.
The law was strongly criticized by the deputies of the main opposition Republican People's Party, or CHP. During the discussion in Parliament, State Minister Mehmet Simsek responded to demands for more restrictions on companies. Many leading Turkish companies, including Koc, Sabanci and Toyota, are among the companies that accept 1 percent's worth of foreign capital contribution. We don't have the intention of selling our lands. We just try to support foreign companies' investments in Turkey to increase employment rates and food production, Simsek said. The Constitutional Court rejected revisions to Turkey's Land Registry Law last year after a legal appeal was brought forward by the CHP.
The act increases the legal limit which is 2.5 hectares 12-fold, thus the law is immoderate enough to liquidate the effectiveness of the limitation, according to the legal basis of the law.
The government missed a three-month deadline to alter the legislation after the court's ruling was published. The Turkish Land Registry Directorate prepared a new bill and sent it to the government, but the bill could not be enacted before the deadline. The delay resulted in the suspension of sale of property to foreigners. Realtors complained about the delays and asked the government not to further postpone the measure, which was crucial for sales in the summer.
January data indicates that a total of 60,351 immovable properties on an area of 37,125,330 square meters were sold to 70,336 foreign nationals in Turkey. British citizens topped the list, owning 4,867,676 square meters of land, daily Milliyet reported Friday.
Foreign companies founded in Turkey and people with dual citizenship will be exempt from the act. The new regulations will assess the building plan, instead of the city area, on the basis of which a certain limit will be determined.
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