MeeTurkey Alternative Tourism & MICE Magazine - May 2018

May 2018 Year: 24 No:90

Jazz comes to Istanbul • The restoration of the Spice Bazaar completes • Baklava Museum opens in Gaziantep • The Istanbul Shopping Fest • Paragliders fly over Lake Van in Turkey • Foreigners prefer Turkey for transplants

FROM THE EDITOR

May’2018 Year:24 No:90

Travel for Festivals

PUBLISHER & EDITOR IN CHIEF SUAT TÖRE suattore@smpublication.com PUBLISHING EDITOR Özgür TÖRE ozgur@ftnnews.com EDITORS Ömer KOCAMAN omer@smpublication.com Fusun TÖRE fusun@smpublication.com INT. RELATIONS Özge TÖRE ozge@smpublication.com PHOTOS MeeTurkey archive Cover photo: Fatih Kucuk Cover story photos: IKSV ART DIRECTOR Özgür TÖRE OFFSET PREPARATION Repronet FILM & PRINTING Repronet REPRESENTATIVES ANTALYA: Salih ÇENE salih@salihcene.com Tel: 90.242.248 50 35 -36

Istanbul has always been described as a city which never sleeps. The reason of this epithet is that Istanbul offers a number of special events, organizations and concerts at any time, no matter what the time is.

Istanbul Jazz Festival is one of those events that attract attention of not only locals but also international tourists.

The Istanbul Jazz Festival every year presents a remarkable variety of music from jazz to rock, pop and world music performances in different venues in Istanbul. The festival regularly brings world class jazz performers to the city and that is one of the main reasons why it is so popular among international travelers.

In this issue, our cover story is the 25th Istanbul Jazz Festival, which will feature more than 250 names in 27 different venues around the city.

A part from the jazz festival, we have some interesting topics such as the upcoming Istanbul Shopping Festival, the first baklava museum of Turkey, trending new sport of paragliding, the new look of Istanbul’s Spice Bazaar after an extensive restoration, Turkey as a medical destination. CANADA: Çetin GÜRZ Last but not least, you will find travel and tourism news including recent cetin@smpublication.com Tel: 1.514.636 6810 and upcoming meetings, conferences, and events.

Happy reading!

Özgür Töre

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IN THIS ISSUE

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Newsline Turkey ������������������������������������������������������������6 Inbrief ���������������������������������������������������������������������������� 12 Newsline World ���������������������������������������������������������� 14 Cover Story ������������������������������������������������������������������ 22 Meet at History ����������������������������������������������������������� 36 Meet at Museum �������������������������������������������������������� 37 Meet at Festival ���������������������������������������������������������� 38 Fame & Game �������������������������������������������������������������� 42 Health & Wealth ��������������������������������������������������������� 44 Destinations ���������������������������������������������������������������� 46 Advertisement Index

WOW Istanbul ������������������������������Inside Front Cover Radisson Blu Hotel Kayseri ����������������������������������������3 The President Hotel �����������������������������������������������������7 Concorde Luxury Resort ����������������������������������������� 13 BW Citadel �������������������������������������������������������������������� 19 The Galata Istanbul Hotel ��������������������������������������� 21 ftnNEWS & RusTourismNews ��������������������������������� 41 IT&CMasia ��������������������������������������������������������������������� 43 Akut �������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 45 Uzakrota ������������������������������������������������������������������������ 49 Seven Stars Luxury Hospitality and Lifestyle Award ����������������������������������������������������������������������������� 51 IKSV Istanbul Jazz Festival ��������������������� Back Cover May 2018 | MeeTurkey | 5

NEWSLINE TURKEY Istanbul couldn’t enter ICCA’s Top 20 cities list again After another successful year for the international association meetings industry, ICCA captured a record number of 12,558 rotating international association meetings taking place in 2017, with 346 additional meetings taking place compared to 2016. Istanbul which was the world’s 8th city in 2015 couldn’t enter in the top 20 city rankings in 2017 as it couldn’t enter in 2016 either. The cities in this year’s top 5 remain the same as they have done since 2015, but Barcelona surpasses regular first and second place holders Paris and Vienna to claim the top spot. Taking first place for the first time since 2004 with 195 meetings in 2017, Barcelona knocks last year’s number one Paris down to second place. Vienna holds its previous position in joint second place with Paris, and Berlin and London are placed in fourth and fifth. Madrid stays in seventh place for another year, and last year’s other number seven Amsterdam drops out of the top 10 to 16th place, making way for Prague to climb three places to join the top 10 in eighth place. As in 2016, Singapore, Lisbon and Seoul remain in sixth, ninth and 10th place respectively. Notable risers are Buenos Aires, jumping from 17th to 11th place, Budapest, jumping from 16th to 12th, and Hong Kong, jumping from 19th to 13th. Rome remains in 20th place for another year. Newcomers to the top 20 in 2017 are Tokyo and Montreal.

Top 20 city ranking by number of meetings organised in 2017 Rank 1 2

4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20

City Barcelona Paris Vienna Berlin London Singapore Madrid Prague Lisbon Seoul Buenos Aires Budapest Hong Kong Dublin Copenhagen Amsterdam Bangkok Tokyo Stockholm Montreal, QC Rome

# Meetings 195 190 190 185 177 160 153 151 149 142 131 128 119 117 115 112 110 101 97 96 96

Since 2016 there has not been much change in the top 10 country rankings, apart from a minor shift in positioning. As it has done for the past two decades, U.S.A. remains in the number one position with 941 meetings, 7 more than reported at this time in 2016. The cities in the top 3 have not changed, with Germany and United Kingdom remaining in second and third place after the U.S.A.’s first. France exits the top 5 and drops to sixth place with the rise of Spain and Italy one place to fourth and fifth, and Japan retains seventh place for a second year running. China P.R. drops one place to eighth. Portugal drops out of shared 10th place to 11th in 2017. Argentina falls two spots to 21st place and Denmark enters the top 20 at 20th place.

Top 20 country rankings by number of meetings organised in 2017 Rank 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20

Country U.S.A. Germany United Kingdom Spain Italy France Japan China P.R. Canada Netherlands Portugal Austria Republic of Korea Australia Sweden Brazil Switzerland Poland Belgium Denmark

# Meetings 941 682 592 564 515 506 414 376 360 307 298 281 279 258 255 237 230 216 208 203

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NEWSLINE TURKEY International Convention of The Wedding Fraternity to take place in Istanbul The wedding industry professionals will convene in Istanbul for the International Convention of the Wedding Fraternity (ICWF). ICWF will take place from 3-5th June 2018 at the Ciragan Palace Kempinski Istanbul.

ICWF Europe will unite 300 international industry professionals to meet, network and conduct business with top level planners and decision makers from across the globe.

The International Convention of the Wedding Fraternity (ICWF), is by far the most comprehensive platform for the wedding industry professionals, where they get to exchange ideas, lay out vision plans, share knowledge, recognise achievements and create new friends. It has been happening in India since the last 5 years and is now opening doors to Europe for its maiden International Edition to happen in the historic city of Istanbul.

Wedding designers & wedding planners, florists, entertainment managers, culinary artists and designers, hoteliers, wedding car suppliers, jewellery designers, wedding dress designers and of course the venues who like to promote themselves to the industry will participate in the forum and B2B meetings.

The professionals of the industry gather in various platforms around the world will set and share the latest trends.

ICWF Europe in Istanbul will provide an opportunity to explore the city as a center of civilizations as the link between Asia and Europe, the focus of destination weddings for families from east to west. Easy accessibility of the city itself makes it more attractive to attend, where the business meetings and the speaker’s forums will give you a richer perspective of the new trends in the industry.

ICWF Europe is the first international Forum on Weddings & Events Industry to be held in Turkey. The international events and weddings planners, the industry influencers, and decision makers for the destinations will be invited as a hosted buyer to meet the vendors and suppliers of the weddings industry in pre-appointed b2b meetings.

Istanbul hosted IATA Global Training Partner Conference Turkish Aviation Academy hosted this year’s 'IATA Global Training Partner Conference (GTPC) on April 16-18 in Istanbul. The conference, which is hosted by Turkish Aviation Academy - the successful training center of Turkish Airlines, is accepted as an important agenda item for global aviation.

“IATA Global Training Partner Conference, that we sponsored this year, has an important place in global aviation agenda. As Turkish Airlines, that steadily keeps its rise in global aviation, we are so pleased to host such a significant event in our hub, Istanbul, that locates on an unmatched geographical position. We believe that this conference, hosted by Turkish Aviation Academy that actively supported by Turkish Airlines with the aim of contributing to the development of both our brand’s and the industry’s qualified work force, will provide a significant added value to Turkish Civil Aviation, while strengthening the fact of being a prominent learning and innovation center in its region.” said M. İlker Aycı, Chairman of the Board and the Executive Committee of Turkish Airlines, in his opening speech during the conference.

“The aviation industry thrives on motivated, highly trained staff. IATA is proud of its role coordinating the training of more than 100,000 aviation professionals a year worldwide. We thank Turkish Airlines for their support for this year’s Global Training Partners Conference. The commitment shown by Turkish Airlines to the success of this event shows once again the importance they attach to ensuring their employees maximize their potential.” said Rafael Schvartzman, IATA’s Regional Vice President, Europe.

International Air Transport Association (IATA) Training awarded its 2018 Premier Circle winners as well as its Regional Top-performing Training Partners within the scope of this event that constitutes a stage for the international panel discussions on aviation and sectoral trainings within the participations of more than 200 representatives from 60 countries. More than 450 IATA global training partners are evaluated on various criteria, such as the number of students trained, the quality of training delivered determined by the examination pass rate etc. The excellence of these training partners contributes significantly to the development of the next generation of professionals.

Having delivered more than 50 IATA training programs to thousands of participants in last two years, 'Turkish Aviation Academy' is one of the top regional training partners worldwide, and has been granted the title of ‘IATA Premier Circle Member’ for the third consecutive time by keeping up the same trend in 2018. During the conference, Turkish Aviation Academy was also presented with an award for this achievement.

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Turkish Aviation Academy, which has been awarded by IATA for the last 3 years as a Premier Circle Member, is a sector leader in aviation management courses given by IATA instructors, and offers internationally recognized courses and diploma programs.

Istanbul hosted ICCA Board Meeting The ICCA Board of Directors came together for a Strategic Meeting in Istanbul on 14-17 March with the support of Istanbul CVB and Turkish Airlines.

During ICCA Board Meeting in Istanbul, Nina FreysenPretorius, ICCA President said, “We are delighted to be here in Istanbul and would like to thank Istanbul Convention Bureau for hosting us. It is a fantastic destination. I think the collaboration between the private and the public sector to host international association meetings really make Istanbul a destination not to be missed for international association meetings. Istanbul has wonderful local products and cuisine, wonderful surprises, wonderful hospitality and we are delighted with the support of all our Turkish ICCA Members. We wish them all the best for the future. Thank you!”.

The Ministry of Culture and Tourism, İstanbul Metropolitan Municipality, İstanbul Chamber of Commerce and Turkish Airlines with Conrad İstanbul Bosphorus Hotel, Hilton İstanbul Bomonti Hotel, Portaxe, Çırağan Palace, The Sofa Hotel/Frankie Restaurant, Deluxe Golden Horn Sultanahmet Hotel, Levni Hotel & SPA, Mevlana Bazaar and DenDen Yacht contributed to the event.

Dubai based Central Hotels enters into Turkey Dubai-based, Central Hotels has announced its entry into Turkey with the signing of a strategic agreement with Green Valley Real Estate to manage the company’s hotels in the country. As part of the understanding, Central Hotels will operate the properties under a new brand ‘Valley Central Suites’.

The first two hotels to be managed by Central Hotels in Turkey are The Valley Central Suites Bursa and Valley Central Suites Trabzon followed by other projects in Yalova and Sapanca. This special agreement between the two parties will subsequently extend to Green Valley Real Estate’s hotels in Morocco, Georgia and Bosnia.

Mr Ali Al Salami, Group Director General of Green Valley Real Estate, stated, “We are delighted to collaborate with Central Hotels to manage our hotels in Turkey. This agreement fulfils our commitment to our valued customers who have bought their units in Turkey.”

Established in 2004, the Green Valley Real Estate Group owns a total of 42 real estate development projects worldwide.

Located near the port of Bursa and the Mudanya Corniche, Valley Central Suites in Bursa boasts 111 fully furnished suites consisting of one and two-bedroom apartments as well as duplex apartments offering either three or four rooms. Included in its fabulous facilities are integrated residential complex services, private swimming pool, children’s garden and play area and dedicated parking for owners.

Valley Central Suites Trabzon enjoys an exceptional location near the shores of the Black Sea with beautiful views of Yomra’s mountains. The hotel consists of 11 buildings with 300 apartments of varying sizes and design – all located within a complex that contains superb range of entertainment and social activities in one place.

Condor to fly Antalya all year round German leisure carrier Condor is expanding its short- and medium-haul programme. The German holiday airline now flies to Palma de Mallorca and Antalya all year round.

A total of seven German departure airports - Dusseldorf (DUS), Frankfurt am Main (FRA), Hamburg (HAM), Hanover (HAJ), Leipzig / Halle (LEJ), Munich (MUC) and Stuttgart (STR) - provide 230 weekly departures a pleasant and short journey.

"It's nice to see that demand for Antalya has risen again and Palma de Mallorca is a popular destination. Therefore, we are very pleased to enable our passengers to fly there even in winter, " said Ralf Teckentrup, CEO of Condor.

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NEWSLINE TURKEY Antalya hosted Eurasia Airshow on April 25-29 Turkish Mediterranean city of Antalya hosted Eurasia Airshow on 25-29 April. Held under the auspices of the Turkish Presidency and Turkish Airlines as the main sponsor, Eurasia Airshow brought together major players of the global aerospace industry.

Eurasia Airshow that took place at Antalya International Airport had a wide exhibitor profile with civilian, commercial, and military aviation companies, suppliers and foreign exhibitors made up nearly 70 percent of the participants.

There was also 65 business chalets and static/display exhibition area for more than 100 aircraft. The Eurasia Airshow attracted over 100,000 professional visitors from over 100 countries with more than 500 international exhibitors and 150 military and civilian delegations.

Qatar Airways has participated the event for the first time at this year’s Eurasia Airshow. Visitors from across the world experienced the five-star services and product provided by the airline. Qatar Airways’ CEO commented, “Turkey has always been one of our passengers’ preferred destinations, due to its ongoing growth in popularity for both business and leisure travel. As such, we have recently announced a non-stop service to Hatay, which commenced on 4 April. Hatay is our fifth destination within Turkey, reflecting the close relationship between the State of Qatar and Turkey. We are also tremendously excited to be launching a direct service to Antalya and Bodrum in June.”

The airline displayed the world’s most advanced passenger aircraft, the Airbus A350-1000, featuring the revolutionary Qsuite Business Class seat, Qsuite. Also on display during the airshow was the Gulfstream G650 ER, a premium Qatar Executive aircraft and industry-leading, long-range business jet.

Iran’s Airtour and Aseman Airlines have signed memoranda of understanding on the sidelines of the Eurasia Airshow with Russia’s Sukhoi to purchase 20 “Superjet 100” (SSJ100) aircraft for each. Airtour will pay $1 billion for 20 aircraft.

The 25th Istanbul Jazz Festival announces its programme Organised by the Istanbul Foundation for Culture and Arts (İKSV) and sponsored by Garanti Bank, the Istanbul Jazz Festival celebrates its 25th anniversary in 2018. The festival will once again host leading names and new discoveries from the world of jazz, as well as the stars of contemporary music between 26 June and 17 July 2018.

The festival will feature more than 250 names in 27 different venues around Istanbul.

The 25th Istanbul Jazz Festival will offer a festival experience full of discoveries in June and July with more than 50 concerts featuring veterans and new discoveries of jazz, well-known ensembles and new horizons of contemporary music.

The first surprise of the 25th Istanbul Jazz Festival is the Australian singer, lyricist, composer, scriptwriter, poet and actor Nick Cave, who has inspired countless artists throughout his career of forty-five years and his band The Bad Seeds. Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, whom Istanbul audience have been eagerly waiting to see live again for years, will meet fans on Tuesday, 10 July at Küçükçiftlik Park with the support of %100 Music.

Other surprises of the festival this year include one of the undisputedly magnificent voices in rock history, Robert Plant and his band The Sensational Space Shifters; the voice behind marvellous ballads of love, melancholy, and rebellion, Benjamin Clementine; Melody Gardot with her category-defying music and expressive vocals; the phenomenal Caro Emerald, who brings the golden age of jazz and swing closer to popular genres with her high energy and voice; a quartet composed of saxophone, drums, keyboards, and bass guitar from Toronto taking bold steps in modern jazz, BADBADNOTGOOD; the piano virtuoso who brings his soul to jazz, Robert Glasper and his new band R + R = Now, and Avishai Cohen with his tunes blending modern jazz with Middle Eastern, Eastern European and Afro-American influences. The festival will also see performances by the bass guitarist who will bring different voices of jazz, funk, world music, blues and rock to Istanbul stages, Derrick Hodge; jazz trumpeter Christian Scott; multi-enstrumantalist Taylor McFerrin; a composer who brings together the elements of jazz, world music and Latin tunes, Omar Sosa, accompanied by

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the Cuban-born Swiss jazz artist with her impassioned vocals and violin, Yiliañ Canizares, and the man behind Kendrick Lamar’s chart-topping hits, Terrace Martin.

Following the success of the first edition in 2017, the festival will once again organise Vitrin: Showcase for Contemporary Music from Turkey that supports successful musicians and ensembles of the local scene in their global outreach, with the sponsorship of SOCAR Turkey, on 27-30 June 2018. A group of international delegates composed of leading representatives of international music industry and journalists will explore contemporary music from Turkey together with the festival audience during the first four days of the festival.

One of the hallmarks of the festival, an over-night music marathon Night Out, on its 4th edition, will give the stages on the Asian side of the Bosphorus to the most promising independent artists of the local scene in 9 different venues. The free open-air event, Jazz in the Parks will go beyond its traditional venues Fenerbahçe Khalkedon and Fenerbahçe Park, and bring jazz music also to a newer park at the outskirts of Istanbul, Beylikdüzü Yaşam Vadisi Parkı on the European side of the city. The festival programme will also feature A Childlike Day with performances and workshops penned for children.

More than 8 Thousand Athletes compete at Vodafone Istanbul Half Marathon Organized by Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (IMM), Sports Istanbul and Vodafone, The Istanbul Marathon hosted more than 8,000 athletes including 32 elite athletes.

Ethiopia's Amdework Walelegn won the men's race while his fellow Ethiopian Ababel Yeshaneh came first in the women's event in Sunday's Vodafone Istanbul Half Marathon 2018, an IAAF Gold Label Road Race.

Meanwhile, Kaan Özbilgen set the Turkey record in the race.

The Istanbul Half Marathon is an annual road running event over the half marathon distance (21.1 kilometers) that takes place in April on the streets of Istanbul.

Ethiopian athletes have left their mark on this year's event, which is now considered an International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) Gold Label Road Race, by winning both in the men's and women's categories.

More than 8,000 athletes from 50 countries participated in the half marathon which also included a 10-kilometer race along with the 21-kilometer half marathon.

In the elite category, Walelegn clinched the title with 59 minutes, 50 seconds on the clock, followed by Ethiopia's Terifa Debela with 1:07 and Turkish athlete Kaan Özbilgen with 1:08. Özbilgen broke the Turkey's half marathon record, which belonged to Ali Kaya previously, by eight seconds.

The 25th Izmir European Jazz Festival organized in March The 25th Izmir European Jazz Festival, organized by İzmir Foundation for Culture, Arts and Education (İKSEV) with the contributions of İzmir Metropolitan Municipality, took place between March 03 and 22, 2018.

The festival organized in cooperation with İstanbul Austrian Cultural Office, Consulate General of the Republic of Poland in İstanbul and Honorary Consulate of the Republic of Poland in İzmir, Goethe Institute İzmir, İstanbul Dimitrie Cantemir Romanian Cultural Institute, İzmir French Cultural Center, İzmir Honorary Consulate of Switzerland, Embassies of Spain and Estonia and İzmir Consulate of the Republic of Italy started with the opening of the exhibition at AASSM on March 3, 2018 Saturday and Emin Fındıkoğlu +12 Concert.

The 25th İzmir European Jazz Festival brought a magnificent jazz festival to the people of İzmir with its program, which included eleven concerts, two exhibitions, a seminar, a movie screening, workshops and events. All events of the 25th İzmir European Jazz Festival was open to public.

The 25th İzmir European Jazz Festival hosted History of Jazz in Germany Photography Exhibition in collaboration with GoetheInstitut İzmir. The exhibition was about history of jazz music, as well as about its contemporary scene from the clubs and festivals, it tells the role of record labels and radio, introduces individuals and their style tendencies. The exhibition under the management of Dr. Wolfram Knauer of Darmstadt Jazz Institute held at the AASSM Lower Lounge.

Izmir Foundation for Culture, Arts and Education (İKSEV) organized a "Write Stuff" about jazz writing for

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NEWSLINE TURKEY journalism students within the scope of the 25th Izmir European Jazz Festival. The workshop was directed by Ümit Tunçağ one of the best people in this field, journalist Sirel Ekşi and jazz historian, writer and journalist Francesco Martinelli.

Inbrief

Publik Market, which creates areas to bring local producers, craftsmen, designers and artists together, brought jazz to the streets on March 10-11, 2018 at Edit & Chillwith special designs and activities for the festival.

Sinem Göksel Stamati is the new sales and marketing director of İzmir, Özdere Club Marvy.

Istanbul Tulip Festival took place in April

Meriç Özgelen is the new General Manager of Trendy Aspendos Beach Hotel.

The 13th International Istanbul Tulip Festival officially started on April 3, 2018 at the Emirgan Park and came to an end on the last day of April. The festival attracted attention of both locals and tourists with several activities such as music concerts, sports games and exhibitions. Moreover, the world's largest colorful tulip carpet drew great attention not only visitors but also media.

Being a national symbol of Turkey, tulips have had a major role in Turkish arts and culture for centuries. Tulip Festival is held each April and the city parks, squares, and gardens are amass with millions of tulips of every color. This year more than 30 million tulips of 125 different species have been planted throughout Istanbul, most of which adorn Gülhane, Göztepe and Zeytinburnu Parks, Emirgan, Yıldız, Beykoz, Fethi Paşa, Çamlıca, Gözdağı-Pendik and HidivÇubuklu Groves, and Sultanahmet Square. The result is a tradition of a splendid spring flower festival with bright splashes of color everywhere.

The IMM prepared the 4th time a Tulip carpet which is known as “the world’s largest carpet of tulips” in Sultanahmet Square. A 1,734 square meter tulip carpet was made of 565,000 live tulips.

The design of carpet is changing every year and the new one can be seen this year from 14.4.2018 onwards.

Germania increases flights to Turkey After successful sales start for flights in summer 2018 to Turkish destinations, Germania sets up additional services to the Turkish Riviera. Additionally, more flights for next winter have been added to the Antalya schedule.

From eight German airports (Bremen, Dresden, Erfurt-Weimar, Münster/Osnabrück, Nuremberg, Rostock-Laage, BerlinSchönefeld, and Friedrichshafen), the airline with the distinctive green-and-white livery will continue to fly to the popular destination during winter season. Most of the connections will be operated year-round.

Germania heads for 15 Turkish airports in total. Compared to last year, the airline’s holiday flights will increase by 57 percent in volume. This includes new connections that have already been publicised: from Nuremberg and Berlin-Schönefeld to Antalya, from Münster/Osnabrück to Istanbul and from Dusseldorf to Kütahya/Zafer. From Germany and Switzerland, Germania will offer up to 60 weekly flights to Turkey. Already in December 2017, Germania announced several new routes from Berlin. Multiple weekly connections are offered to Antalya and Bodrum as well as to Dalaman, Samsun, Kayseri, and Gaziantep.

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Zeynep Göztepe Öge has been appointed as the director of Bodrum Frame Suites.

Levent Oral named General Manager of Mare Park Hotel.

Erhan Çakay has been appointed General Manager of Eresin Topkapı Hotel. İclal Yıldırım is the new sales manager of TBs Tourism.

Ergin Erden announced as General Manager of Kıbrıs Ingate Hotel & Cafe.

Alper Pınar Batum is the new General Manager of JRW Welmond Hotel & Casino.

Buse Akcura Sayılı named ass. sales and marketing director of The Bodrum Edition.

Altuğ Kargı is the new General Manager of Şile Gardens Hotel & Spa. Önder Dinler has been appointed General Manager of Wyndham Old City.

Uğur Atak has been appointed sales and marketing director of Steigenberger Airport Hotel.

Ceyda Cura named special events organizer of Hilton Istanbul Bosphorus.

NEWS LINE WORLD The most exclusive and coveted Luxury Hospitality award to be held in Crete The 2018 Seven Stars Luxury Hospitality and Lifestyle Awards (SSLHLA) will be held in Crete on October 6th at the pristine OUT OF THE BLUE Capsis Elite Resort. This marks the very first time that an internationally acclaimed award ceremony will be held on the Island of Crete.

The leading lights of the tourism industry from around the globe will be in attendance to collect the SIGNUM VIRTUTIS, the seal of excellence, as well as numerous VIP’s among which are HSH Prince Massimiliano della Torre e Tasso, HSH Princess Costanza della Torre e Tasso and HRH Nathalie Princess of Hohenzollern.

The event, hosted by stunning Celebrity Presenter & Luxury Panel Member Ece Vahapoglu, will consist of a lavish Cocktail reception, a sumptuous Gala dinner, awards presentations, and entertainment. As always, this will not be a regional event. The SSLHLA ceremony is a global event attracting winners from all over the world.

The Seven Stars Luxury Hospitality and Lifestyle Awards are unique within the hospitality industry focusing on maximizing benefit to its winners as well as exclusivity. The company’s meteoric rise has catapulted its winners into the limelight with events that have been held in Spain (twice), Malaysia, Bali, and Greece.

Khalil EL-Mouelhy, Chairman of the Awards commented: “We are thrilled to hold our 6th Gala Ceremony on the Island of Crete. The Island is home to some true gems in terms of resorts and is an ever-growing destination. OUT OF THE BLUE Capsis Elite Resort, with its stunning location, possesses all the facilities and amenities required for this exclusive and demanding event and we are delighted to be working together with them. Our 2017 Ceremony which was held in Athens was a tremendous success and this year promises to be even better”.

The luxurious event serves, not only, to recognize the amazing achievements of the winners, it is also a high-level networking event designed to bring together leaders within the Luxury Hospitality industry.

Dia Capsis, President and Managing Director of OUT OF THE BLUE, Capsis Elite Resort said:” it is an honor to host the prestigious 2018 Seven Stars Luxury Hospitality and Lifestyle Awards Gala Ceremony. Having already received the SIGNUM VIRTUTIS, the seal of excellence from the SSLHLA as one of the best Hotels & Resorts we feel we are the perfect venue for the event. We have vast experience spanning decades and we are looking forward to providing winners and guests with an amazing time during this magical event under the stars surrounded by the Aegean Sea. With our distinguished Gastronomy, elite spa experiences and our beautiful coast, we are looking forward to providing winners with true Cretan Hospitality and the “Capsis Touch”. We would like to thank the SSLHLA Organization for selecting our resort for this exclusive event and we are looking forward to welcoming you all.”

New Congress Centre is Being Built in Prague New multifunctional and congress centre is being built in Prague. Bestsport company which owns and operates the O2 arena will construct a complex in so-called “small arena.” The centre will be named O2 universum. The construction budget is about 1.2 billion CZK. “The O2 arena has proved the ability to host successfully the world’s greatest musical or sporting events, however we have been aware for a long time that there is an extensive space in the building that is not being used efficiently,” says Robert Schaffer, the chairman of board and CEO of Bestsport company and O2 arena. “In addition we have perceived the interests of promoters and organizers who wanted to place attractive events into arena but there was a question about appropriate space. In the second half of the year 2015 the first serious reflection about rebuilding has come to our minds and we have decided to complete the ‘small arena.’”

The multifunctional centre is being built in the space of so-called “small arena” which was built at the same time as the O2 arena – from 2003 to 2004. The intention was to have a training area next to the O2 arena, originally designated as the second area for the 2004 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championships. There had to be established other areas for sport and commercial use. However, at the time of construction of the O2 arena, the completion of the “small arena” was stopped and the space was used only for storage purposes.

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The new complex which is directly linked to the O2 arena from the south has four floors and total area of almost 50 000 m2. “Small arena” will have 21 halls of different sizes at disposal in total capacity of 10 000 visitors. The largest hall with a capacity of up to 4.5 thousand people will be used as a space for organizing medium-sized concerts and sporting events. On every floor of the complex there will be created 13 000 m2 for exhibitions and commercial use.

O2 universum should serve as a modern centre especially for organizing large international congresses and corporate events. “Our main goal is to bring together congress events that have not been in Prague before – either because of the number of participants or due to the requirements for exhibition area associated with the congress.

The aim is to host corporate events, Christmas parties, but of course there will be cultural events or concerts for which the O2 arena is too large,” explains Marek Chmátal, business development director who is responsible for corporate events and congresses.

“O2 universum will be the place for international congresses which has not existed in the Czech Republic before. Thanks to the possibility of linking the newly completed complex with existing O2 arena on all four planned floors, we have a space for up to 28 thousand visitors with plenty of exhibition space, restaurant of all categories and almost unlimited possibilities for any client’s wishes,” adds Schaffer.

The new congress centre O2 universum has been designed by ATIP company (architects Martin and Vladimír Vokatý) as well as the O2 arena. The architectural design has been developing more than a year and half, partly it was determined by the existing building and finally it follows the original perimeter walls. The reconstruction of the building has begun in October 2017. Currently most of the demolition works are done and design goes into the construction phase.

The multifunctional complex is named O2 universum. “The name ‘universum’ perfectly reflects the essence and main characteristics of the object – we offer both clients and visitors universal space and seemingly unlimited, compact, yet very extensive,” explains Schaffer. The opening of the O2 universum is scheduled for the summer 2019.

Bestsport, the operator of O2 arena – one of the most modern multifunctional halls in Europe with the capacity up to 20 thousand seats – is a member of the PPF group. It invests in a range of industries from banking, financial services over telecommunications, biotechnologies, insurances, real estates to agriculture. PPF operates in Europe, Russia, Asia and North America. The group owns assets exceed of 27 billion euro (to 31 December 2016).

The 2nd World Conference on Smart Destinations is on June 25-27 The World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), the Government of Spain and the Principality of Asturias are organizing the 2nd UNWTO World Conference on Smart Destinations (Oviedo, 25-27 June 2018). The Conference will discuss the principles of 21st-century tourism destinations, marked by governance, innovation, technology, sustainability and accessibility.

The event, which is being held for the second year in a row, will bring together experts from around the world to discuss the opportunities and challenges arising from the development, implementation and management of innovative products and services based on new technological solutions.

“Innovation and technology present a unique opportunity to transform tourism into a more competitive, smarter and more sustainable sector,” said UNWTO Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili.

According to the Minister of Energy, Tourism and Digital Agenda of Spain, Álvaro Nadal, the Conference is an example of collaboration among all administrations to modernize the sector and improve it technologically. Nadal said that Asturias has all the qualities for the event to be a success and surpass the 500-participant attendance figure of last year's edition.

“Asturias has always been committed to a sustainable tourism model. That is why we open our doors to this conference, where professionals from all over the world will put innovation at the service of intelligent and responsible tourism development,” said the regional Minister of Employment, Industry and Tourism of the Principality of Asturias, Isaac Pola.

The Conference will feature lectures and round tables in which participants will discuss the opportunities and challenges for tourism deriving from the most important digital trends such as Big Data, Artificial Intelligence

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NEWS LINE WORLD and Machine Learning, the Internet of Things, Location Intelligence, Cloud Computing, Blockchain and Virtual & Augmented Reality.

Other topics to be addressed include; digital transformation within destinations, technological solutions to measure the impact of tourism, smart destination governance, the importance of new technologies for sustainable development, as well as the role of open platforms and data management to improve the competitiveness of tourism destinations.

Study reveals economic effects of meetings and congresses on Cologne A study commissioned by the Cologne Convention Bureau (CCB) reveals detailed breakdown of the economic effects of meetings and congresses on Cologne. The study considers not only the expenditures of the participants but also those of the organizers and exhibitors. It also takes into account for the first time the investments that venues make in Cologne.

Approximately 35,000 meetings and congresses with two million participants are held every year in more than 170 event venues in Cologne. According to the calculations, the Cologne meeting market’s total turnover (from consumption) in Germany amounts to EUR 1.3 billion annually. About 45 per cent of this amount (EUR 720.1 million) remains in Cologne. Because the meeting market is traditionally a cross-sectoral industry, many of the expenditures flow into the hotel and restaurant sectors, event venues and areas such as transportation, the retail trade and cultural events.

The participants of meetings and congresses in Cologne spend EUR 557.3 million annually. The players in this category account for the largest segment of total expenditures. Specifically, 64.5 per cent of the participants are day trippers and 35.5 per cent are overnight guests. On average, congress participants spend EUR 289.70 in Cologne during their visit to the city. The second-largest segment of total expenditures is accounted for by exhibitors, who spend EUR 479.5 million annually to present exhibitions associated with congresses and meetings. The initiators of meetings account for the third-largest segment of total expenditures. They spend EUR 263.6 million in areas such as catering, space rental costs, technical equipment and personnel.

The largest percentage of meetings (37 per cent) are held in conference hotels, followed by 33 per cent in event centres and 30 per cent in other event locations. The breakdown of the turnover corresponds to the participant figures: conference hotels generate the greatest amount of turnover, namely EUR 236 million (42 per cent), followed

by EUR 169 million generated by event locations (30 per cent) and EUR 153 million by event centres (28 per cent).

For the first time in Germany, the study also takes into account companies’ investments in Cologne, thus making a comprehensive overview possible. Some venues are investing considerable amounts in measures such as construction and modernization in order to maintain or optimize their services. According to the study, the investments made by locations in Cologne amount to EUR 14.9 million annually.

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Cologne’s meeting market generates value added amounting to EUR 534.6 million annually, as well as creating 8,056 jobs all over Germany. Almost 50 per cent of these jobs (3,786) are created directly in Cologne, with 30 per cent of the total at event locations and in the hotel and restaurant industry and 38 per cent in the event services sector. The remaining jobs are divided among the categories of transportation, construction and the retail trade. In addition, EUR 88.3 million in taxes are paid in Germany as a result of Cologne’s meeting market.

Kissimmee, Florida to host Connect Travel Marketplace in 2019 Connect Travel Marketplace, which brings decision-makers from top international travel buyers together with North American travel industry suppliers, will be held February 20-22, 2019, at the Gaylord Palms Resort & Convention Center in Kissimmee Florida.

Connect Travel Marketplace combines a robust educational program with efficient, effective and prescheduled, one-on-one appointments that enable buyers and sellers to expedite the sales process and close business.

The inaugural Connect Travel Marketplace, held in Orlando, facilitated 11,773 individual meetings among destination marketing organizations, hotels, resorts, attractions and tour operators from 20 countries.

"Connect Travel Marketplace works because we host the right people from the largest international tour operators, at the right time of the year for them to build their North American product offering, and in a format that is tailor-made for business development," said Connect Travel Marketplace General Manager Shari Bailey. "Based on the feedback that we have received from buyers and suppliers alike, we anticipate that the show will grow significantly in 2019."

"International visitation to our region is vital, and the inaugural Connect Travel Marketplace was extremely productive for Experience Kissimmee and for our partners," said DT Minich, president and CEO with Experience Kissimmee. "We are very excited to host Connect Travel Marketplace 2019, and to showcase Kissimmee to over 200 international tour operators from around the world."

Seville to host WTTC Global Summit The World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) announced that next year’s WTTC Global Summit will take place in Seville, Spain on 3-4 April 2019.

The location of the 2019 Global Summit was announced at the closing ceremony of the 18th WTTC Global Summit in Buenos Aires, Argentina. The 2019 WTTC Global Summit will be hosted by Ayuntamiento of Seville, in partnership with Turismo Andaluz and Turespaña.

Travel & Tourism is one of the leading sectors stimulating economic growth and employment worldwide. In 2017, the global Travel & Tourism sector grew at 4.6%, faster than the global economy as a whole (3% growth during 2017) and generated US$8.3 trillion in GDP (10.4%) and 313 million jobs. Travel & Tourism is a significant contributor to Spain’s economy, accounting for 14.9% of GDP (EUR$172.9bn) and 15.1% of jobs (2.8 million jobs). Spain’s travel sector enjoyed a very successful 2017, overtaking the US to become the second most visited country in the world.

Gloria Guevara Manzo, President & CEO of WTTC, said: “We are extremely excited to bring next year’s WTTC Global Summit back to Europe for the first time since 2015, to Seville, Spain, a welcoming, diverse, and well-connected city, which topped Lonely Planet’s list of best cities to visit in 2018.”

Manzo added: “WTTC’s annual Global Summit brings together the most influential figures from the public and private sector to address the challenges and opportunities facing Travel & Tourism. Hosting the Summit in Seville is a reflection of the commitment and efforts of the Spanish government to growing business and leisure travel, and we are very much looking forward to April 2019.”

Juan Espadas, Mayor of Seville, said: “In Seville, we want to grow sustainably. Without losing our identity as a heritage city, with a lifestyle closely related to gastronomy and the friendliness of people well known around the world. In Seville, we are heavily investing in diversification of the tourism industry. We are a great city to visit, to live and to invest, and it is an honour to host the WTTC Global Summit, as any city would dream of. The Summit will make Seville the world centre of decision making in tourism for the next year. Welcome to Seville. The city of joy”

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NEWS LINE WORLD Matilde Asian, President of Turespaña, concluded: “We are looking forward to welcoming the Summit attendees back to Spain next year. It is an excellent opportunity for the delegates to experience Seville’s cultural life, warm climate, amazing gastronomy, and friendly people.”

Francisco Javier Fernández, Minister for Tourism, Andalucía, said “Hosting WTTC´s Global Summit highlights Andalucía on an international scale, and we are excited to have such a high-level international event in Seville. The 2019 WTTC Global Summit represents an opportunity to showcase the richness of our culture and the opportunities our sector provides.”

Oman is to be the Official Partner Country of ITB Berlin 2020 The Ministry of Tourism and ITB Berlin have announced that the Sultanate of Oman is to be the Official Partner Country of the World’s Leading Travel Trade Show in 2020.

Tourism Minister, H.E. Mr. Ahmed bin Nasser Al Mahrizi said: “ITB Berlin is the leading platform for the global travel industry. With this partnership we will be able to draw major attention to our country as a travel destination. We are greatly looking forward to presenting Oman as a destination to such a wide audience in 2020.” The Minister and Dr. Buck, Senior Vice President Travel & Logistics, Messe Berlin, cemented relations at this year’s ITB Berlin with an official agreement.

“Oman is a travel destination with many facets and for several years has been an important exhibitor at ITB Berlin“, said Dr. Martin Buck.

“With the Sultanate we are delighted to have found such an attractive partner for the 2020 show.“ The Sultanate of Oman with its more than 5.000 years of history is regarded as an exclusive and sustainable travel destination and has a great hospitality culture. The country has a lot to offer: diverse and attractive landscapes, pristine beaches, desert, impressive mountains as well as exclusive hotels. Activities, such as fishing, surfing, canoeing and diving round off the range of tourism attractions.

As the Official Partner Country of ITB Berlin 2020, Oman will, among a range of other events, organise the opening ceremony on 3 March at the CityCube Berlin. From 4 to 8 March 2020 a colourful and wide-ranging program and numerous events will ensure that visitors get an opportunity to find out more about the Sultanate.

Accra to host Routes Africa in July Routes Africa, the intra-Africa route development forum, will return after a two year hiatus, due to demand from the route development community. The event, which will be the 12th Routes Africa, is the most long standing and established aviation forum bringing together leading airlines, airports and tourism authorities to discuss air services to, from and within Africa for over a decade.

This year’s event will be held in Accra, Ghana from 16-18 July and hosted by Ghana Airports Company Limited (GACL).Mr. John Dekyem Attafuah, Managing Director, Ghana Airports Company Limited, said: “GACL is pleased to play host to the 12th Routes Africa. It is a unique opportunity for us to showcase Ghana to the world.

The aviation industry in Ghana, stands out as one of the fastest growing and most competitive in the region. GACL on its part, has taken the needed steps to expand infrastructure to meet the growing demand and is poised to provide world-class facilities and services for the benefit of our stakeholders”.

Attafuah continues “GACL is getting ready to unveil its flagship project, Terminal 3 in July this year. Terminal 3 promises to be the game-changer, as Ghana inches closer to becoming the destination of choice and the preferred aviation hub in the West African sub-region. It is designed to have modern facilities that will undoubtedly position Kotoka International Airportamongthebest equipped airports in the region”.

“We look forward to attracting more airlines and other aviation related businesses as a result of our association with Routes Africa. Ghana is, after all, positioned in the centre of the world and nowhere is too far!”

Routes Africa’s return to the annual route development calendar sees a number of new innovations as part of the event, including a certified route development accreditation for all attendees by Routes’ sister company, ASM. ASM, who pioneered the concept of route development 25 years ago and established Routes events, will be holding a dedicated version of their world renowned ‘Fundamentals of Route Development’ training course as part of the Routes Africa programme.

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HOTEL & RESTAURANT

Since 1992

NEWS LINE WORLD “Speaking from the AFRAA event in Zanzibar, Event Leader, Mark Gray stated “We have been working on Routes Africa’s return for some time now, and have listened to the demand from our airline and airport customers throughout the region who have felt that huge benefit from attending the event in previous years”. Gray continues “we wanted to find the right host and we feel that in Ghana Airports Company we have found that. Their recent terminal development and the state of the art e-gates they have recently installed, really show their commitment to progressing the infrastructure that Africa clearly needs if it is to live up to its growth potential.”

Steven Small, Brand Director for Routes stated “We are delighted to be bringing Routes Africa back to the annual route development calendar and Ghana looks set to be the perfect host to deliver the event with us. Our Event Leader, Mark Gray, is an extremely experienced member of the Routes team, who has been integral in the development of all Routes events for more than a decade. Mark’s passion and drive for the Africa region, stems over many years and his relationships within the region, with both airlines and airports, makes him the right choice to step into the essential role in driving forward Routes Africa for many years to come.”

Saudi Exhibition & Convention Bureau joins ICCA The Saudi Exhibition & Convention Bureau (SECB) has recently become a member of the International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA), and has invested in a much larger stand at IMEX in Frankfurt 2018 where 23 venues, event organisers and services companies from the Kingdom will be partnering with the SECB. In addition, the SECB has become a sponsor of the IMEX Policy Forum.

The 23 partners on the stand will provide an excellent selection of the extensive range of over 500 first class hotels, convention and exhibition facilities available in the leading cities across the country. These venues are the culmination of significant investment by the Kingdom in infrastructure that has transformed the meetings industry to welcome bigger business events. They are also supported and complemented by the establishment of the Saudi Academy for Event Management, opened in March 2017.

The investment is part of Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030, announced in April 2016, an ambitious but achievable blueprint which expresses long-term goals and reflects the country’s strengths and capabilities setting out economic and social policies designed to move the Kingdom’s economy away from its reliance on oil. Hosting business events is one of the focal points of the reforms, all means to generate both revenue and employment.

The country’s progress was highlighted at the recent Saudi Meetings Industry Convention, titled ‘Saudi Arabia Welcomes Your Meetings’ which attracted world leading event industry delegates, CEOs of global associations as speakers and international event management companies as supporters.

Budapest to host UNICEO Congress “Leading events to the Future” Budapest will host UNICEO Congress “Leading events to the Future” on 27 - 29 June 2018. A non-profit event will bring together 200 head of events from leading corporations such as Microsoft, Nokia, Nissan, Schneider Electric, Porsche, Sanofi, Total, Orange, JP Morgan, Cap Gemini, Bayer, Schlumberger, Siemens, SAP, Merck, BP, etc. from more than 30 countries. The venue of the UNICEO Congress is Kempinski Hotel Corvinus Budapest.

Delegates will get together to discuss together their most important issues about Live Communication &: measurement - engagement - digital transformation - leadership.

Bob Bejan, General Manager: Global Events, Production Studios and Marketing Community at Microsoft World wide will be keynoting UNICEO Congress "Leading events to the Future". He will talk about Digital transformation and its impact on corporate events and Live Communication.

UNICEO® (United Networks of International Corporate Event Organizers) is the only international non-profit association that brings together senior decision-makers for communication / marketing (responsible for planning and organizing corporate events) in leading companies internationally.

UNICEO® Members come together to share and reflect on the practices and changes in their roles as well as current and future challenges. Their objectives: to improve their events, broaden their networks and revitalize their careers by adapting to a constantly changing environment.

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COVER STORY

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Jazz Comes to Istanbul

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COVER STORY

Organised by the Istanbul Foundation for Culture and Arts (İKSV) and sponsored by Garanti Bank, the Istanbul Jazz Festival celebrates its 25th anniversary in 2018. The festival will once again host leading names and new discoveries from the world of jazz, as well as the stars of contemporary music between 26 June and 17 July 2018. The festival will feature more than 250 names in 27 different venues around Istanbul.

The 25th Istanbul Jazz Festival will offer a festival experience full of discoveries in June and July with more than 50 concerts featuring veterans and new discoveries of jazz, wellknown ensembles and new horizons of contemporary music.

The first surprise of the 25th Istanbul Jazz Festival is the Australian singer, lyricist, composer, scriptwriter, poet and actor Nick Cave, who has inspired countless artists throughout his career of forty-five years and his band The Bad Seeds.

Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, whom Istanbul audience have been eagerly waiting to see live again for years, will meet fans on Tuesday, 10 July at Küçükçiftlik Park with the support of %100 Music.

Other surprises of the festival this year include one of the undisputedly magnificent voices in rock history, Robert Plant and his band The Sensational Space Shifters; the voice behind marvellous ballads of love, melancholy, and rebellion, Benjamin Clementine; Melody Gardot with her categorydefying music and expressive vocals; the phenomenal Caro Emerald, who brings the golden age of jazz and swing closer to popular genres with her high energy and voice; a quartet composed of saxophone, drums, keyboards, and bass guitar from Toronto taking bold steps in modern jazz, BADBADNOTGOOD; the piano virtuoso who brings his soul to jazz, Robert Glasper and his new band R + R = Now, and Avishai Cohen with his tunes blending modern jazz with Middle Eastern, Eastern European and Afro-American influences. The

The 25th Istanbul Jazz Festival Press Meeting The programme of the 25th Istanbul Jazz Festival was announced at a press meeting held on the evening of Tuesday, 10 April at Zorlu PSM Sky Lounge, the festival’s Venue Sponsor with the Highest Contribution. Speakers of the meeting were General Director of İKSV, Görgün Taner; Corporate Brand Management and Marketing Communications Director of Garanti Bank, Elif Güvenen; Istanbul Jazz Festival Director, Pelin Opcin, and Istanbul Jazz Festival Assistant Director, Harun İzer.

Taner said: “Today, if Istanbul is on the map of the world’s leading artists, Istanbul Jazz Festival has a great contribution on this. The festival celebrates its 25th anniversary this year and it will bring jazz and contemporary music to different parts of the city, streets, ferryboats, parks, and ensure that Istanbul audience meet with master musicians from all over the world and explore new horizons of music. I thank Garanti Bank for supporting the continuity of Istanbul Jazz Festival for 21 years.”

Güvenen said: “This year is very special, considering that the Istanbul Jazz Festival is celebrating its 25th year. It is not easy to capture and maintain success for such a long time, and with a rising graphic on top of it. We are lucky that we could be a part of this team for the 21 years of 25 as Garanti, and have a share in it. We have always been very glad to be the sponsor of the Istanbul Jazz Festival, which has been realised with great effort by İKSV, and will continue to feel the same way.”

Opcin and İzer presented the festival programme and events. The press meeting was also attended by well-known artists and jazz musicians from Turkey.

festival will also see performances by the bass guitarist who will bring different voices of jazz, funk, world music, blues and rock to Istanbul stages, Derrick Hodge; jazz trumpeter Christian Scott; multi-enstrumantalist Taylor McFerrin; a composer who brings together the elements of jazz, world music and Latin tunes, Omar Sosa, accompanied by the Cuban-born Swiss jazz artist with her impassioned vocals and violin, Yiliañ Canizares, and the man behind Kendrick Lamar’s chart-topping hits, Terrace Martin.

Following the success of the first edition in 2017, the festival will once again organise Vitrin: Showcase for Contemporary Music from Turkey that supports successful musicians and ensembles of the local scene in their global outreach, with the sponsorship of SOCAR Turkey, on 27-30 June 2018. A group of international delegates composed of leading representatives of international music industry and journalists will explore contemporary music from Turkey together with the festival audience during the first four days of the festival.

One of the hallmarks of the festival, an over-night music marathon Night Out, on its 4th edition, will give the stages on the Asian side of the Bosphorus to the most promising independent artists of the local scene in 9 different venues. The free open-air event, Jazz in the Parks will go beyond its traditional venues Fenerbahçe Khalkedon and Fenerbahçe Park, and bring jazz music also to a newer park at the outskirts of Istanbul, Beylikdüzü Yaşam Vadisi Parkı on the European side of the city. The festival programme will also feature A Childlike Day with performances and workshops penned for children.

Different experiences in diverse venues

Festival concerts will be held in different locations of the city, continuing to provide a whole new concert experience to the music lovers by turning unconventional spots into concert venues.

COVER STORY Among the 27 venues that will host the festival this year are Harbiye Cemil Topuzlu Open Air Theatre, which has an unforgettable place in the 25 year old history of the festival and returns as a festival venue after a short break; and the garden of one of the oldeset buildings in Beyoğlu, Palazzo di Venezio, which will serve as a festival venue for the first time.

Other festival venues include Zorlu PSM Main Theatre, Zorlu PSM Drama Stage and Zorlu PSM STUDIO, The Marmara Esma Sultan Mansion, Garden of Palazzo di Venezio, Sultan Park Swissôtel The Bosphorus, Sakıp Sabancı Museum Fıstıklı Terrace, Sakıp Sabancı Museum the Seed, UNIQ Open Air Theatre, UNIQ Hall, Küçükçiftlik Park, Küçükçiftlik Bahçe, Beykoz Kundura, Fenerbahçe Khalkedon, Fenerbahçe Park, Beylikdüzü Yaşam Vadisi Park and Salon İKSV. Night Out programme will once again take place in Kadıköy’s most beloved venues: All Saints Moda Church, Ağaç Ev, Moda Kayıkhane, Baba Sahne, Club Quartier, Bant Mag. Havuz / BİNA, KargART, Moda Sahnesi and Zor. Festival tickets are now on sale

Tickets for the 24th Istanbul Jazz Festival went on sale on Wednesday, 18 April at 10.30 and are available from Biletix sales points, and also from the box office of İKSV (every day from 10.0018.00 except Sunday), where tickes can be purchased without a service fee. Istabul Jazz Festival tickets can also be purchased from the 37th Istanbul Film Festival kiosks in Atlas and Rexx movie theatres on 18 and 19 April. Tickets with reduced fees are available for students.

Tulip Card holders receive special discounts of up to 25% on their ticket purchases. Priority sales for Black and White Tulip Card holders take place on 13-14 April, and on 15-16 and 17 April for Red and Yellow Tulip Card holders. For details please visit: iksv.org/en/membership-and-support/ tulip-card-membership-programme Istanbul Jazz Festival becomes the junction of music and music lovers once again in its 25th edition

For the past 25 years, Istanbul Jazz Festival has been bringing together the successful performers not only of classical jazz, but also of many different genres with the audience in Istanbul, offering a unique programme each year.

The festival campaign, created by the advertisement agency Muhabbet for the 25th year of the festival, reflects the diversity of the festival’s programme with the slogan, #25yearsofjazzandmore. In the posters, former participating artists of the festival from jazz and other genres are depicted together to underline the wide array of genres that the festival represents.

Festival’s Lifetime Achievement Awards

The 25th Istanbul Jazz Festival’s Lifetime Achievement Award will be presented to two veteran names of jazz, Nezih Yeşilnil and Şevket Uğurluer, as well as the harmonica artist Ahmet Faik Şener at the festival’s opening ceremony.

Known by his nickname Balarısı (Honeybee) Ahmet, the harmonica virtuoso of Turkey, Ahmet Faik Şener had his first harmonica in the first year of primary school. He formed his first ensemble Balarıları (Honeybees) with Şerif Yüzbaşıoğlu on piano and Şefik Uyguner on flute and himself on the vocals, accordion and rhythm instruments. Ahmet Faik Şener, who has interpreted almost all kinds of music from classical to folk music in radio studios, concert halls, casinos and even television screens with his harmonica, has also performed many compositions such as those from Malcolm Arnold and Marcello’s oboe concertos for harmonica.

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Nezih Yeşilnil, who embarked on his music journey by playing the mandolin and guitar at a young age, started his jazz career with the contrabass, 1980 onwards. He worked with Erol Pekcan, Nükhet Ruacan, Tuna Ötenel, Neşet Ruacan and Önder Focan and attended the European tour with Jak-Janet Esim Ensembe in 1993 three times. He was part of the group that represented Turkey at the Eurovision Song Contest in 1996. Known in the international arena and having shared the same stage with many world stars in international jazz festivals, Nezih Yeşilnil continues to play with various jazz and ethnic music bands, besides his own trio. Şevket Uğurluer, the legendary name of the piano, started his music studies with the mandolin in elementary school and continued with the piano after trying various instruments. Uğurluer founded his first orchestral ensemble with Erol Büyükburç, Metin Ersoy, Kanat Gür and Salim Ağırbaş at the age of 17, and his own orchestra in 1961 after playing in major orchestras of the period. Uğurluer performed significant songs of the period as “Şevket Uğurluer and His Friends”, adapting folk and Classical Turkish music to jazz. Ana Beni Eversene, Not Responsible, Tombalacık Halimem and You were among his most notable records at the time. Uğurluer was the composer of the Turkey’s contribution to Eurovision Song Contest in 1991. He also hosted the TV show, “Anılarla Müzik”, for 20 years, introducing unforgettable jazz performances to the TV audience.

Festival to kick off with a special concert

The grand opening concert of Istanbul Jazz Festival on its 25th Anniversary pays tribute to the wide spectrum of Turkish jazz, which has morphed into many different forms through many timbres. A cavalcade of stars featuring soloists, composers, and ensembles that have been milestones in Turkish jazz history will be performing together for the first time, accompanied by TRT Big Band conducted by Kamil Özler on 26 June at Zorlu Performing Arts Main Theatre. The leading names of this special concert will include Ali Perret, Ateş Tezer, Ayşe Gencer, Ayşegül Yeşilnil, Ayşe Tütüncü, Deniz Dündar, Emin Fındıkoğlu, Kerem Görsev, İlham Gencer, Neşet Ruacan, Nezih Yeşilnil, Nilüfer Verdi, Okay Temiz, Önder Focan, Sibel Köse, Şenova Ülker, Tuna Otenel, Volkan Hürsever and Yahya Dai will be featured in this concert either with their compositions or performances This concert will also lead the special projects planned to become a tradition in the coming years where countless singers and composers interpreting the jazz of Turkey from many different angles will be included.

Stars of the local music scene will shine at “Vitrin: Showcase for Contemporary Music from Turkey” between 27 and 30 June 2018

Vitrin: Showcase for Contemporary Music from Turkey will be held for the second time this year under the sponsorship of SOCAR Turkey on 27-30 June 2018. The series will focus on the successful musicians and ensembles of the local scene and will aim to provide them with a new opportunity to reach a wider international audience.

Vitrin: Showcase for Contemporary Music from Turkey, which builds on the objective of promoting the cultural values of ​​ our country and enhancing the intercultural dialogue, was developed as a project that focuses on jazz and contemporary music. The rapid development of music production in Turkey and the multitude of recently emerging musicians lead to new projects not only in Turkey but also in the international arena, receiving great interest and demand. This productive environment in the local music industry has motivated the Istanbul Jazz Festival, to offer an effective international platform for emerging artists.

The series will feature more than 30 successful contemporary music and jazz artists and ensembles from Turkey. The concerts, to be held between 27-30 July, will be attended by prominent representatives of the international music industry, in addition to the festival audience. In parallel with these May 2018 | MeeTurkey | 27

COVER STORY concerts, Turkey’s contemporary music scene will be introduced to the international participants with panels and seminars. The sectoral meetings to be held will bring more than 40 local and foreign music professionals together and establish relations that will encourage local artists to reach out to the international arena. One of the projects to be realised under Vitrin will be the Socar Turkey Silk Road Tour Support Award, worthy of 5,000 Euros which will be presented once again in order to support the international tours of the artists and bands participating in the programme.

Vitrin will feature concerts of the inventor and master of fretless classical guitar Erkan Oğur and his quartet, a talented pianist and singer as well as a composer Selen Gülün, jazz pianist, composer, arranger, and producer Çağrı Sertel, one of the most successful drummers of the Turkish jazz scene Ediz Hafızoğlu, musician who combines combines funk, R&B, rock and ethnic elements in his compositions Ercüment Gül, and Lara Di Lara and Levni’s brand new project Alike Places. Some of the most exciting and alternative names of the independent scene such as Kalben, Yüzyüzeyken Konuşuruz, Taner Öngür & 43.55, Islandman, Focan & Bıyıkoğlu Organic Expeditions, Nilipek and Melike Şahinwill give concerts in various venues in Kadıköy and Moda within the scope of Night Out event.

The detailed programme and the complete list of artists included in Vitrin will be announced in May. 25TH ISTANBUL JAZZ FESTIVAL PROGRAMME Stars of the contemporary music •

Melody Gardot Wednesday, 27 June, 21.00, UNIQ Open Air Stage

Having visited Turkey for the first time in 2009, Melody Gardot started writing music after surviving a serious traffic accident many years ago and held on to life through her songs, wholeheartedly believes in the healing power of music. Her fan base, which she cultivated through the highly successful albums she released in the course of last 13 years, is a testament to this belief. Melody Gardot’s performance is a glorious combination of her categorydefying music, Philly influences, expressive vocals, and her real stories that she candidly shares.

• Benjamin Clementine Thursday, 5 July, 21.00, Harbiye Cemil Topuzlu Open Air Stage

Ever since his first introduction to the world as a passionate singersongwriter and poet in 2013 on the stage of “Later…with Jools Holland”, Benjamin Clemente, an utterly inspiring artist who is the voice behind marvellous ballads of love, melancholy, and rebellion, managed to establish himself solidly on the emotional maps of listeners through his melodies. This new generation genius, whose music critics unanimously agree on being striking, won the Mercury Prize with his debut album At Least for Now in 2015. As he continues following in the footsteps of his heroes Nick Cave, Tom Waits and Nina Simone, he released his sophomore album I Tell A Fly last year, proving the astounding quality of his music once again. Benjamin Clementine’s theatrical performance through which he mesmerises the audience by banding music and literature together is an experience not to be missed out.

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Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds // Lara Di Lara Tuesday, 10 July, 19.30, KüçükÇiftlik Park

The Australian singer, lyricist, composer, scriptwriter, poet and actor, as well as the dark prince of music who has inspired countless artists throughout the history of music, Nick Cave will take the stage with his legendary band The Bad Seeds after 17 years at the Istanbul Jazz Festival with the support of %100 Music. Nick Cave will be accompanied on stage by today’s most prominent names of post-punk: Warren Ellis, who is considered Cave’s musical soulmate; the old timers Thomas Wydler, Martyn P. Casey and Jim Sclavunos, and newcomers George Vjestica and Toby Dammit who joined in 2015 will be at the stage as one of the most original bands in musical history, The Bad Seeds. Before Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, the vocalist of 123, Dilara Sakpınar will warm up the stage with her solo project, Lara Di Lara.

• Caro Emerald Thursday, 12 July, 21.45, Zorlu PSM Main Theatre

The glimmer of Caro Emerald will light up Zorlu Performing Arts Centre Main Theatre on this night. The excitement of watching Caro Emerald, who has been a part of our musical vocabulary since 2009 with such hits as “Back it Up” and “A Night Like This”, is undeniable. After topping the charts in a short amount of time and becoming a contemporary jazz phenomenon – also winning the hearts all over again with her 2017 EP’s Emerald Islands shortly followed by a Metropole Orchestra collaboration MO x Caro Emerald – the queen of electro swing will leave her mark on the festival stage at this special concert sponsored

by Schindler. Emerald embellishes her vocals with improvised steps and is on course to become a sophisticated and timeless icon with her stage style. It is impossible not to fall under her spell.

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Robert Plant & The Sensational Space Shifters Tuesday, 17 July, 21.00, Harbiye Cemil Topuzlu Open Air Stage

Robert Plant, the legendary singer of Led Zeppelin, is one of the undisputedly magnificent voices in rock history. With his one of a kind voice, which tells stories listeners never want to end, his innovative musical style which stretches from all the way back to his glorious days in the ‘70s with Led Zeppelin to his recent solo works, and his hypnotizing stage presence, Robert Plant will revisit the 25th Istanbul Jazz Festival after 11 years with his band The Sensational Shape Shifters to engrave another magical memory in music lovers’ minds. Sponsored by Matraş, this rendezvous where Robert Plant will play songs from his latest album Carry Fire in addition to his classics will be an experience to add to one’s musical atlas.

The meeting point of jazz lovers •

Dave Holland, Zakir Hussain, Chris Potter Friday, 29 June, 21.30, Zorlu PSM Main Theatre

In another brilliant night that needs to be boldly underlined, three great names of jazz that have been known for their legendary works are coming together on stage on the 25th anniversary of the Istanbul Jazz Festival: Zakir Hussain, the tabla master who blends world music with jazz; Chris Potter, the doyenne who is declared as the most studied and imitated saxophonist on the planet by DownBeat; and Dave Holland, the bass guitarist and composer who is known for his genre-defying innovative music. This is going to be a dazzling night from a star trio of genius improvisations that has a sublime jazz language and telepathic effect on the audience.

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COVER STORY •

Kurt Elling Quintet with special guest Marquis Hill Friday, 6 July, 19.30, UNIQ Hall

The Grammy-winning artist who has 12 nominations under his belt and known as one of the most poetic and dynamic singers in contemporary jazz, Kurt Elling will crown the festival stage with special guest Marquis Hill who will accompany Elling’s high-scale voice and swanky lyrics. Hill, who is among the musicians that modernise Chicago jazz pioneered by Louis Armstrong, Jelly Roll Morton, and King Oliver, continues his career in New York since 2014 where he is heating up the jazz scene with his performances alongside such marquee names as Marcus Miller and Joe Lovano, as well as working on his solo projects.

Elling and Hill have been collaborating on some of the most prominent jazz stages around the world and this is their first time playing together in Istanbul.

• Avishai Cohen “1970” Tuesday, 3 July, 21.00, Sultan Park – Swissotel Istanbul

Discovered by Chick Corea, one of the most prominent pianists in the history of fusion jazz, Avishai Cohen is regarded as one of the essential names in jazz and classical music. Cohen positions his music on a balanced place between respect for tradition and the exuberance of embarking on new adventures. His tunes blends modern jazz with Middle Eastern, Eastern European and Afro-American influences. The festival will be welcoming Cohen at the unique atmosphere of Sultan Park, where he will be sharing the music from his exciting latest album 1970, which marks an adventurous departure for the virtuoso.

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The Fred Hersch Trio Wednesday, 11 July, 21.30, Zorlu PSM Drama Stage

Fred Hersh, one of the most exploratory jazz artists of the 21st century, has been the constant center of acclaim in the past 30 years for his breathtaking solo recitals, bilateral and trilateral collaborations, and close to 40 albums. Citing the names of some of his collaborators, such as Joe Henderson, Art Farmer, Charlie Haden, Stan Getz and Bill Frisell, doesn’t even begin to summarise his success. Music enthusiasts will thoroughly enjoy witnessing the boundless music of Hersch, whom Jason Moran describes as, “Fred at the piano is like LeBron James on the basketball court.”

• Fabrizio Bosso Quartet // Massimo Manzi Trio feat. Elif Çağlar Monday, 2 July, 20.00, 21:30 Palazzo di Venezia’s Garden

This night, which will take place in the historic atmosphere of the Venetian Palace, will begin with Massimo Manzi Trio, which features Domingo Muzietti on guitar, Massimo Giovannini on bass, and Massimo Manzi, one of the most prominent jazz drummers in Italy, on drums. Jazz musician Elif Çağlar will be accompanying the trio with her lively vocals. Following this performance, virtuoso jazz trumpeter Fabrizio Bosso, who has worked with the likes of Enrico Pieranunzi, Rosario Giuliani, Charlie Haden, and Carla Bley, will be taking the stage with his quartet. This authentic musical dialogue, which will be the first step in the State of Art project, will feature Julian Oliver Mazzariello on piano, Jacopo 30 | MeeTurkey |May 2018

Ferraza on bass, and Nicola Angelucci on drums; musician friends of Bosso, whom he admires the most.

New generation of jazz musicians •

R+R=Now:

Robert Glasper/Taylor McFerrin/Derrick Hodge/Christian Scott/Terrace Martin Friday, 6 July, 22.00, UNIQ Open Air Stage

For Robert Glasper, reflecting the times in his output is the golden rule for making music. Inspired by the groundbreaking approach of Miles Davis, the virtuoso pianist, who brings his soul to jazz, was one of the most exciting names in the neo-soul movement of the ‘90s. With his albums released through Blue Note, he received three Grammy awards. He continues to inject a high dose of jazz into R&B and hip-hop and through his new band R+R=Now he brings together his like-minded friends, namely multi-instrumentalist Taylor McFerrin, bass guitarist Derrick Hodge, jazz trumpeter Christian Scott, and Terrace Martin, the man behind Kendrick Lamar’s chart-topping hits. This will be the first-ever Istanbul concert of the newly established and ever-exhilarating band.

• BADBADNOTGOOD // Zara McFarlane Saturday, 7 July, 20.30, 22.15, KüçükÇiftlik Bahçe

Zara McFarlane will be the exciting opening act of this night, which will take place at the KüçükÇiftlik Bahçe. With her radiant voice that has the timbre of early Nina Simone and Roberta Flack, she became one of the new stars of the British jazz scene and garnered great attention after getting nominated in the “Best Act” category at MOBO Awards with her debut album Until Tomorrow. Her third and most current album Arise, released last year, was hailed as her most personal and autobiographic to date.

Following the impassioned vocals of McFarlane, who masterfully blends the Caribbean and reggae traditions into jazz and creates a unique texture, BADBADNOTGOOD of Toronto will take the stage with songs that prove their assurance in taking bold steps in modern jazz. The band continued its collaboration with Kendrick Lamar through its work on the soundtrack of the megasmash film Black Panther and is also known for its covers of hip-hop hits. As a quartet composed of saxophone, drums, keyboards, and bass guitar, BADBADNOTGOOD invites the audience to an exceptional night under the stars where they will open the doors wide to an unforgettable musical celebration.

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Julian Lage Trio Wednesday, 11 July, 19.00, Zorlu PSM Drama Stage

Discovered at the tender age of 8, Julian Lage’s genius was so impressive that he was the subject of an Oscar-nominated documentary Jules at Eight in 1997. The following year, he was a featured guest on the stage with Carlos Santana and at the age of 13, he performed at the Grammys.

His success continued into his adult years, and at the age of 30, this young jazz virtuoso boasts an impressive résumé that includes collaborations with such great names as Gary Burton, Jim Hall, David Grisman, Béla Fleck and Charles Lloyd, as well as three albums as a band leader. Julian Lage, whose next project we feverishly anticipate, will be sharing his impeccable technique with the festival audience.

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COVER STORY •

Parisien-Peirani-Schaerer-Wollny “Out of Land” Thursday, 12 July, 20.00, Zorlu PSM Drama Stage

One of the most charismatic quartets of European jazz, Parisien/Peirani/Schaerer/Wollny is a band that likes to push its boundaries as well as the instruments they play. Swiss singer Andreas Schaerer, German pianist Michael Wollny, French accordionist Vincent Peirani, and French saxophonist Emilie Parisien have reinforced their bright careers through this project and crowned it last year with their album Out of Land. The quartet will be playing Out of Land in its entirety, which starts with knocking listeners out of their feet and ends with an epic closer. The band invites the audience to explore the riches of this album through a highly characteristic performance, which will take place at Zorlu Performing Arts Centre Drama Stage.

As is customary with projects of this nature, this might end up being a performance one may never see again.

• Knower // Surprise Artists Friday, 13 July, 21:00, 22.30, Beykoz Kundura

In recent years, Beykoz Kundura has become one of the most popular venues in the festival showcasing the transformation in modern jazz by hosting such acts as Kamasi Washington, Ibeyi, JUNUN, and Bokanté, and once again will be the venue of choice with some of the most exciting acts taking the stage. The headlining act will be revealed on a later date, but the opening act will be Knower, the electronic music duo that will get you moving by subjecting you to their dizzying dynamism. As is the case in every year, transportation to the venue will be provided by toll boats, details can be followed on caz.iksv.org/en. This event will be realised with the kind collaboration of Beykoz Kundura.

Different voices from different geographies •

Erkan Oğur Quartet // Shahin Novrasli Trio Saturday, 30 June, 19.30, 21.00, Sakıp Sabancı Museum Fıstıklı Terrace

Shahin Novrasli, who played on prominent jazz stages around the world, will be the first act of this exquisite night. Novrasli’s music, which marries exotic and smooth melodies with sharp harmonies, is the admirable result of the intersection between his classical training, which he began at an early age, and his traditional folk inspirations that stem from his Azerbaijani roots. Following Novrasli, Erkan Oğur will be gracing the festival stage. With his idiosyncratic instrumental skills, Oğur, the folk, jazz and blues artist, inventor and master of fretless classical guitar, who intimately distills the melancholy of being human into his music, promises a splendid musical experience that will once again touch everyone’s heart. Through the heavenly combination of Can Çankaya, Matt Hall, and Turgut Alp Bekoğlu, who will accompany Oğur on the stage, a summer night on which emotions will find voice awaits the audience.

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Adam Bałdych & Helge Lien Trio with Tore Brunborg “BROTHERS” Wednesday, 4 July, 21.00, Sultan Park – Swissotel Istanbul

Adam Baldych, one of the most prominent violin virtuosos in contemporary jazz who literally created his own language by breathing new life to jazz violin, meets Helge Lien Trio and Tore Brunborg on the Istanbul Jazz Festival stage. Norwegian jazz pianist and composer Helge Lien, who will join Baldych on stage, is admired for his music which blends Bill Evans’ piano style adorned with melodic lines, Keith Jarrett’s exploratory storytelling, and Brad Mehldau’s nuanced expositions. The third artist of the night, composer and saxophonist Tore Brunborg, is another star of the Norwegian jazz scene. This fantastic trio will be playing songs from their album Brothers, which was released last year, on a summer night worthy of Sultan Park.

• Anat Cohen & Marcello Gonçalves Monday, July 9, 19.00, Zorlu PSM Drama Stage

With his clarinet and saxophone, Anat Cohen considers the performance arena as a celebration space and knows darn well how to make the audience a part of the celebration. Cohen will be accompanied by Brazilian guitarist Marcello Gonçalves, with whom he was nominated for a Grammy for their album Outra Coisa. The duo will breathe new life to groundbreaking composer Moacir Santos’ songs. The high energy of this stirring night, where breathtaking melodies that blend Brazilian tunes and jazz elements take center stage, will put the audience under a spell.

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Omar Sosa & Yilian Canizares “Aguas” Monday, 9 July, 21.00, The Marmara Esma Sultan Mansion

Omar Sosa, who always pays tribute to his African and Cuban roots through his melodies, freely brings together the elements of jazz, world music, hip-hop and electronic music in his compositions. After his early youth when he used to secretly listen to American jazz while living in Cuba, he made successful albums to keep this forbidden love alive. Having respect for multiculturalism as his code, he contributed a great deal to Latin jazz through his compositions. A seven-time Grammy nominee and piano virtuoso who gives more than 100 concerts every year around the world, Omar Sosa finally brings his exuberance to Istanbul Jazz Festival. Accompanying him with her impassioned vocals and violin will be Cuban-born Swiss jazz artist Yilian Canizares; a rare talent who embellishes her love of classical music with jazz and salsa rhythms.

Leading names of contemporary & jazz music from Turkey •

Çağrı Sertel “Instant” // Alike Places

Wednesday, 27 June, 22.00, 23.30, Salon İKSV

Çağrı Sertel’s interest in music goes back to when he was 12 years old when he started playing keyboards before culminating in a strong career. On this festival night at Salon, jazz pianist, composer, arranger, and producer Çağrı Sertel, whose structurally unrestricted music is a masterful display of his expressions on life, will be playing songs from Instant, which harbors ethnic elements in its modern jazz and progressive style.

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COVER STORY Before Çağrı Sertel, Lara Di Lara and Levni’s brand new joint project Alike Places will put you on board with indie R&B, IDM and hiphop sounds.

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Selen Gülün “Kadınlar Matinesi” Friday, 29 June, 19.00, Zorlu PSM Drama Stage

One of the most accomplished Turkish musicians whose compositions are performed by some of the most esteemed orchestras in the world and who is known for being a talented pianist and singer as well as a composer, Selen Gülün brings her solid project, Women’s Matinée, to the festival stage. The idea for the project materialised for the first time in 2011 when Donne in Musica asked Selen Gülen to perform with Italian musicians a selection of works by Turkish female musicians during the Donne in Jazz festival. The project was developed throughout the following years and in 2017 resulted in an album of the same name, Women’s Matinée. The album is given life by more than 10 female artists who contribute through their compositions, instruments and vocals, and is a first in Turkish musical history. Selen Gülün’s dynamic music that features a variety of styles blending the classical with the modern is the pillar of this solidarity.

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Ediz Hafızoğlu “Nazdrave” // Surprise Artist

Friday, June 29, 22.00, 23.30, Zorlu PSM Studio

Ediz Hafızoğlu, one of the most successful drummers of the Turkish jazz scene who, this year, released his sophomore album 13, which he dedicated to the limitless power of change, will bewitch you with his songs that masterfully communicate his changing moods that evolve from darkness to light and chaos to order and his music which he brings to life without getting caught up in boundaries. The opening act of the night will be announced later.

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Night Out Thursday, 28 June, 19.00, Kadıköy-Moda

After three sold-out editions within the scope of the festival, “Night Out” concerts to be held under the sponsorship of Vodafone Freezone will spread through the most frequented venues of the Kadıköy district on the Asian side of Istanbul such as Club Quartier, All Saints Moda Church, Moda Kayıkhane, Moda Sahnesi, Baba Sahne, Ağaç Ev, KargART, Havuz, Zor, with concerts by the most thrilling and alternative names of the independent music scene; Kalben, Yüzyüzeyken Konuşuruz, Taner Öngür & 43.55, Islandman, Focan & Bıyıkoğlu Organic Expeditions, Nilipek, Melike Şahin and many others.

Children meet at the Sakıp Sabancı Museum on “A Childlike Day”

The festival will once again organise a special event for children. On 7 July, at 14.30, children will spend an eventful Saturday when they have fun as they discover their musical leanings through concerts, workshops, training programs, and exhibitions, the details of which will be announced soon.

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Festival organises more events to spread jazz on its 25th anniversary

In addition to the concerts and activities mentioned above, the festival will also feature a variety of admission-free programmes created to enhance access of jazz in the festival’s 25th anniversary.

• Pre-festival talks May - June, various venues

Within the scope of the 25th Istanbul Jazz Festival, a series of talks prepared by the academician Orhan Tekelioğlu will be held in May and June. Among the topics to be discussed at these talks to be hosted by the popular jazz clubs in Istanbul, are the history of jazz festivals in Turkey, development of jazz in Turkey, programming and booking, and new generations’ taste in jazz music. The programme of these admission-free talks will be announced in May. •

Activities for refugees

The festival will once again collaborate with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to welcome refugees based in Turkey, in its concerts. In 2016, the festival hosted refugees in Damon Albarn & Syrian Musicians Orchestra concert, and last year, in the Basel Rajoub & the Syrian Women’s Choir’s performance.

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Instructor trainings for musicians

This year, the Istanbul Jazz Festival will undertake an “instructor training” for professional musicians, in collaboration with the Boğaziçi University. Within the scope of this project, academics from Boğaziçi University will give pedagogical traning to professional musicians who want to organise musical activities for children. The project will culminate in the selection of trainers from among the applicants, who will then take part in the projects on “A Childlike Day” at the 25th Istanbul Jazz Festival.

Photos are from IKSV May 2018 | MeeTurkey | 35

MEET AT HISTORY

The restoration of the Spice Bazaar completes The Spice Bazaar or Mısır (Egyptian) Çarşısı as it is known in Turkish is one of the two most famous Ottoman-era marketplaces in Istanbul. The restoration of the Spice Bazaar was completed with a ceremony attended

by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and other dignitaries.

The marketplace, which is located near equally famous Grand Bazaar and the oldest after it, saw an extensive facelift on the interior and exterior. It last underwent restoration in 1945, and the new work by the Directorate General of Foundations included repairing its dome, roof, cross corridor vaults as well as resurfacing the original decorations of the Prayer Pulpit, a significant place where shopkeepers would gather every day before opening for business to pray for prosperity. Restorers also removed concrete layers over columns and installed a wooden roof covered with lead.

The bazaar, which mostly hosts shops offering a diverse array of spices, Turkish delights, desserts, herbs and foods, the same as when it first opened centuries ago, got its Turkish name because the taxes collected from then-Ottoman state Egypt funded its construction. Its foundations were laid in 1597 by architect Davut Ağa commissioned by Safiye Sultan, wife of Sultan Murad III, but its construction, delayed for a variety of reasons, would take 60 y e a r s to complete. It remained a hub of trade for centuries with goods brought in from the Anatolian heartland and former Ottoman dominions, from the Balkans to the Arabian peninsula on sale.

President Erdoğan said the Spice Bazaar has been a symbol of Istanbul for 354 years, and it would now serve "with higher standards and in an original state" after the restoration. He lamented the destruction of the original decorations during slipshod restoration work in the past.

Erdoğan said the restoration cost about TL 16 million (nearly $3.8 million).

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MEET AT MUSEUM

Baklava Museum opens in Gaziantep Ispired by the chocolate museums in Europe, Gaziantep, Turkey's gastronomy capital, now has its own Baklava Museum. The museum has been brought to life by Associate Professor Oğuzhan Saygılı, who was inspired by a chocolate museum in Germany.

Saygılı said, "This city has reached great heights in terms of gastronomy. When it comes to Gaziantep's desserts, baklava is the first thing that comes to the mind. I am an oculist. I studied in Germany. After I saw the chocolate museum there, I thought I Gaziantep deserved its own baklava museum. I decided to realize that dream after returning to Turkey."

For a long time, Saygılı looked for the perfect location for his museum project.

"After I decided it should be in a historical location, I started the procedures. The preparation process took three years. After a lot of efforts, we received the museum status two months ago. This Gaziantep specialty needs to be preserved. The number of chefs, who spread dough by hand, without using a dough mixer, is decreasing every day. It wasn't easy for us to find our chef. Here, we show all the processes involved in baklava preparation. Maybe, some chefs can be trained here, too."

Claiming that tourists visiting the museum are very much interested in baklava, Saygılı said: "There has been a serious increase in the number of visitors recently. The visitors can observe all the details of baklava preparation and ask questions to our chef."

"Actually, I could have opened this museum in a much shorter time.

However, it took longer as I could manage little time while working.

The visitors understand that baklava is an art when they see how long and detailed its preparation period takes," he said.

Visitors can follow the processes of baklava preparation six days a week at this workshop, which is located in the historical Millet Inn and they can also taste the desserts prepared there.

One of the visitors, Esra Kızmaz expressed that she witnessed the making of baklava for the first time at the museum.

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MEET AT FESTIVAL

The Istanbul Shopping Fest The Istanbul Shopping Fest is an annual shopping fest held in Istanbul, Turkey. Established in 2011, the mission of the Festival is to make Istanbul the shopping, culture and entertainment center of the world. This year will be organized June 8-24.

During the festival, all the contributing shops offer special discounts. The festival especially attracts foreign tourists as the shops offer tax free shopping. The historic sites in Istanbul also participate in the festival by closing two hours later than usual.

Shopping Malls Akasya Akasya is a shopping mall located in Acıbadem at the Üsküdar part of Istanbul, Turkey covers an area with a GLA of 80.000 sqm.

Akasya offers visitors a unique architectural design with 30 m high freeform skylights to provide maximum daylight with a ground floor height of 8 m for shop displays to experience street shopping offering visitors close to 270 stores including 10.000 sqm KidZania Children Edutainment Centre, 15 movie theatres with 2500 seats along with one of Europe’s biggest Imax screen, 360 degrees food court with more than 2000 seats capacity with unique concierge services located at the 2 main entrances, valet parking and with Akasya Park on 10.000 sqm located on the North Entrance of the shopping centre.

Capitol Capitol, which aims to offer the newest and the best all the time with 24 years shopping center experience, underscores the change with the architectural renovation completed this year. Makes understand “Capitol has changed but never changed” motto as new identity, completing the compact structure with surprise changes.

Renovated cinema Spectrum, the food and beverage area The Loft,

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the Captune Word children’s entertainment center that presents a whole new experience for children and the new brands that are added to the stores that are hosted, Capitol welcomes Istanbul Shopping Fest with its new face.

Emaar Square Mall Emaar Square Mall has been designed as a destination for shopping, entertainment and gastronomy, and offers an extraordinary experience to its visitors from Turkey and all around the world. Emaar Square Mall hosts luxury brands and stores which are available for the first time in our country, while presenting an approach that responds to each and every need of the modern urban life; from eating and drinking to entertainment. Emaar Square Mall opened its doors on April 28, 2017 and expects an average of 25 million guests annually.

Forum Istanbul With a total construction area of 495.000 square meters in Bayrampaşa, Istanbul, Forum Istanbul is not only the biggest shopping center of Turkey, but also the biggest shopping center of Europe with a rentable area of 176.000 square meters, and 292 national and international brands.

In addition to its rich category and store mix, Forum Istanbul hosts Istanbul Sea Life Aquarium with Europe’s biggest shark family and the first theme park Jurassic Land, and also led the way by incorporating Turkey’s first Legoland Discovery Center last year in July. İstinyePark Since September 2007, İstinyePark has been Istanbul’s premier, exclusive shopping mall, meeting a wide range of tastes and needs with expansive outdoor and indoor shopping areas that include 147 clothing stores, along with 41 new brands launching in the Turkish market for the first time, in addition to dining experiences encompassing a variety of world cuisines.

With city’s finest restaurants such as Zuma, Go Meso and Masa, İstinyePark also promises a rich gourmet experience along with shopping.

Kanyon Kanyon is a place where you can feel free, inspired, and recharged, where life is vibrant, and shopping is fun and entertaining. Kanyon gives you the feeling of a weekend getaway without ever having to leave the city.

Each with its own character, Kanyon’s four retail levels snake about a landscaped urban oasis that offers the enjoyment of each season in an open-air, climate-controlled setting. Every level offers a unique view of a shifting urban landscape as well as a passageway to some of the most prestigious retailers, restaurants, bars and cafés in Turkey and internationally. Setting a new standard for shopping in Turkey, Kanyon is today recognized internationally as a leading retail therapy destination for global travellers.

Grandbazaar Grandbazaar, which has the title of “the Oldest Historical Bazaar of the World” with its 555 years of old history, is an enclosed box – as expressed by poets . It perseveres to host 2500 shops, 15.000 shopkeepers, about one hundred crafts, and in average 300.000 visitors with thousands ofvarious products in a 47.000 meters square market place for five and a half centuries every day. AS the statistical data shows that 90% of the tourists visiting Istanbul stop by Grandbazaar. On the other hand, it is obvious that almost all local tourists walk in the streets of the Grandbazaar, breathe in its historical scent, and buy presents for their loved ones from the shiny shops of this invaluable place. Therefore, Grandbazaar is not only a historical heritage and trust, but it is the centre of trade and shopping, Thus, it is Istanbul’s heart , too.

Palladium Palladium, is one of the most popular shopping centers of the Anatolian side, has opened its doors to visitors in 2008. With its hundreds of exclusive brands, Palladium continues to be one of the most preferred life centers of Istanbul offering its visitors special events and different flavors of Turkish cuisine. The Palladium in Istanbul is known for its giant glass sphere and is one of the most iconic sites in the city, with its stores stretching across five floors.

Palladium Shopping Mall features 190 different shops, restaurants and a cinema. Palladium Shopping Mall consist of a total five floors along with a 2500-vehicle enclosed car park, Palladium Shopping Mall is one of the most prominent shopping center on the Anatolian Side with its giant glass sphere and the brands it introduces.

Venezia Venezia was designed with the Venetian concept – the most exquisite illustration of the Italian architecture. Bringing the outlet stores of the world-famous brands to the European Side of Istanbul, Venezia was awarded as one of the best 3 Outlets of the World. Turning the dream of Venice into a reality, Venezia even includes the construction of the renowned Piazza San Marco (St. Mark’s Square).

With the food court around Piazza San Marco, and lined up worldfamous brands, Venezia also offers the joy of shopping on gondolas.

Decorated with the spectacular Venetian Canals, Venezia enables shopping on gondolas. Meanwhile, the brands lined up indoors offer a pleasing shopping for the visitors with their exclusive sky-themed ceiling architecture. Offering a unique architecture in Turkey together with the joy of shopping, Venezia is on the top ranks as the most remarkable project among the investments recently realized in Istanbul.

Just 15 minutes away from the city center, Venezia also offers an easy access. Located in Küçükköy district of the European side of Istanbul, just on the crossroad of the former Edirne road and Metris, Venezia welcomes you right next to Tem. For those who wish to visit the outlet by mass transportation, getting off at Kiptaş Venezia (formerly Metris) tram stop is the most practical alternative for access.

Zorlu Center At the juncture of Europe and Asia, a new lifestyle destination has been created in the heart of Istanbul. Nestled in a green expanse, an environmentally sensitive lifestyle destination Zorlu Center features over 72,000 square meters of green space that are home to 200 different types of plants, including 68 different species of tree. A total of more than US$ 20 million was invested in landscaping. At the heart of the project is a 10,000 square meter urban square designed to serve as a new meeting point for the city. An additional 12,000 square meter open-air park located in an adjoining square is Zorlu Center’s gift to Istanbul. Underground pedestrian tunnels link Zorlu Center to the Metro and Metro-bus, as well as serving to connect these two public transport systems. The 770-meter long connecting tunnels and 230 meters of underpasses were entirely financed by Zorlu Property Group.

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FAME & GAME Paragliders fly over Lake Van in Turkey Located on the shores of Lake Van, which is famous for its blue waters and beautiful nature, Altınsaç and the İn bay area in Van's Gevaş district have become the new address for Turkey's paragliders. A paragliding event took attention of adventure seekers.

The two locations host numerous paragliders, thanks to cliffs that go up as high as 650 meters and are covered in natural grass. The adrenaline seekers can enjoy some beautiful views of Lake Van, St. Thomas Monastery and the surrounding forests.

Gevaş Municipality and Turkish Airlines organized a paragliding event with 20 paragliders coming from different cities across Turkey. Gevaş Mayor Sinan Hakan said that they organized the event in order to show that paragliding could be done in and around Lake Van as well as in the district.

He added that Lake Van has the potential to become a major paragliding destination like Fethiye and Ölüdeniz in the Aegean Region.

"We have had 20 paragliders from all over Turkey at this event. Lake Van is among Turkey's most beautiful locations. This place is also of historical and cultural importance."

Paragliding trainer Hamdi Şiray said that the regions many mountains are perfect for paragliding but these locations need little sand lying work to make them more suitable for the sport.

He noted that paragliding could contribute more to the region's tourism and said: "Paragliding is becoming very popular in Turkey. For 15 days we will organize paragliding flights at different locations in Van. Tandem flights like in Fethiye can also be held here. In Van, there are many beautiful hills that are perfect for paragliding. With better transportation and some other works, this place can be a great paragliding tourism spot."

Valley Nature Sports Club President Ömer Demez said the historical and natural beauty of the city could be better introduced to tourists through paragliding.

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HEALTH & WEALTH Foreigners prefer Turkey for transplants

Turkish hospitals had successfully been performing transplant of liver, lungs, intestine, kidney and heart. Turkey’s transplant specialist Dr Murat Ozturk and Dr Mehmat Ali Aydin said that every year, 12,000 transplant procedures were being performed in Turkey.

Liver patients from abroad prefer internationally renowned medical centers in Turkey that specializes in liver transplants. From January 2002 to June 2013, there were 6091 liver transplants performed in Turkey. The number of liver transplants per year in Turkey reached 1000 transplants in 2012 and more than 1150 transplants in 2013. Therefore, Turkey has one of the highest volumes of liver transplantation per population worldwide, with 90% survival within 1 year after transplantation.

One in every five people in the world travels to Istanbul for medical tourism to undergo a hair transplant procedure. Huseyin Kirk, chairman of the Middle East Tourism and Travel Agencies Association in Turkey, estimates that there are between 150-500 hair transplant surgeries performed every week. A hair transplant operation in Turkey is not just a medical procedure. Almost every clinic in Istanbul offers a package deal: You get picked up from the airport and brought to your hotel by a private driver supplied by the clinic. Your hotel room will have already been booked by the clinic and you don’t need to worry about transportation on the day of the procedure—the clinic handles that, too. And people come in droves because while a hair transplant costs up to $25,000 in the US and Europe, in Istanbul, it ranges from just $600 to $2,000.

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DESTINATIONS - ANKARA

Ankara, the capital of Turkey, is located in the center of Anatolia province. With a known history of around 3000, Ankara has seen great heights in the past. Around 3000 years ago, the Hittites established a city by the name of Akuwash (old name for Ankara) at the intersection of two trade routes in Turkey. During its earlier phase, Ankara was ruled by Phrygians, Macedonians (under Alexander the Great), and Romans. Seljuk Turks captured the city in 1071 AD and renamed it as Enguriye.

Most important moment in the history of Ankara came when Atatürk founded his provisional government here in 1920, and in 1923 when it became the capital of Turkish Republic. The city has seen a number of changes since then, however it has been successful enough in maintaining a fine balance between the old and the new and thereby living up to its unique identity as the “Melting Pot of East and West”. Today, Ankara is a sprawling urban mass thoroughly organized and well - planned and much European in look than most of the cities in Turkey. Its wide-open roads, large hotels, restaurants and government offices distinguish the city. Besides, there are several tourist attractions and meetings in the city making it an ideal destination for the tourists and mice industry.

City At a Glance Population: 3,627,098 Traffic Code: 06 Telephone Code: 0312

How to go Ankara’s international Esenboga Airport is well connected to other cities in Europe as well as to important destinations in other parts of the world.

What to do The foundations of this citadel were laid by Galatians to be completed by the Romans. Byzantines and Seljuk made major changes later on. The citadel is located atop a hill in the old city where one can see some fine examples of traditional architecture of Ankara.

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What to see

The Ankara Citadel The Museum of Anatolian Civilization Anıtkabir The Temple of Augusts The Roman Bath The Column of Julian Had Bayram Mosque The Hatti Monument Victory Monument Monument of the Republic Yeni Mosque Kocatepe Mosque

DESTINATIONS - ANTALYA

Visit the picturesque old quarter of Kaleici; narrow, winding streets and old wooden houses around the ancient city walls. Since its founding in the second century B.C., Antalya has been continuously inhabited. The region, bathed in sunshine 300 days of the year, is a paradise of sun-bathing, swimming and sports activities like windsurfing, water skiing, sailing, mountain climbing and hunting. If you come to Antalya in March or April, in the mornings you can ski the slopes and in the afternoons you can swim in the warm waters of the Mediterranean. Important historical sites await your discovery amid a landscape of pine forests, olive and citrus groves, and palm, avocado and banana plantations. The Turquoise Coast is the tourism capital of Turkey. Its full range of accommodations, about 35 000 delegates, sunny climate, variety of excursions and activities, and its warm hospitality make it a soughtafter venue for meetings and conferences. The Antalya Convention Bureau, ACB, is an independent, non-profit making organization. Founded in 1995, the Antalya Promotion Foundation (ATAV) has become a member of the European Federation of Conference Towns (EFCT) in 1997. A Culture, Exhibition and Congress Center was opened in 1996 in the Konyaalti district. The Congress Center is located in a glass pyramid.

City At a Glance Population: 1.132.211 Traffic Code: 07 Telephone Code: 0242

How to go Antalya airport is 10km east of the city center, and has direct flights from Europe. It is well connected to other parts of Turkey, and daily direct flights from Istanbul and Ankara.

What to do With its palm-lined boulevard, internationallyacclaimed marina, and old castle with traditional architecture, all set amidst a modern city, Antalya is a major tourist center in Turkey. In addition to the wide selection of hotels, restaurants, bars, nightclubs and shops, the city also plays host to a number of sporting

events throughout the year, like International Beach Volleyball, triathlon, golf tournaments, archery, tennis and canoeing competitions. Opened in 1995, the Cultural Center hosts cultural and art events. The main area of interest in the city is central old quarter within the Roman walls, known as Kaleici, and there are many interesting museums around the city. ¡¡ ¡¡ ¡¡ ¡¡ ¡¡ ¡¡

What to see

Archaeological Museum Truncated and fluted minarets Hadrian’s Gate Old Harbour Perge, Side, Aspendos Düden and Kursunlu Waterfalls Antalya Castle

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DESTINATIONS - ISTANBUL

The former capital of three successive empires -Roman, Byzantine and Ottoman- Istanbul is a fascinating mixture of past and present, old and new, modern and traditional. The museums, churches, palaces, mosques, bazaars, and the sights of natural beauty seem inexhaustible. As you recline on the shores of the Bosphorus at sunset contemplating the red evening light reflected in the windows and slender minarets on the opposite shore you understand, suddenly and profoundly, why so many centuries ago settlers chose to build on this remarkable site. In addition to its unique historical and cultural background and innumerable attractions, modern hotels, exclusive restaurants, nightclubs, cabarets, bazaars and shops make Istanbul a superb site for meetings, conferences and conventions. Istanbul is fast becoming one of the most popular international congress and exhibition destinations.

The opening of the Lütfi Kirdar International Conference Center (ICC) doubled the capacity of congress facilities in Istanbul. The ICC is ideally located in the modern district of Harbiye, at the center of the city’s business, cultural and commercial life, surrounded by some of Europe’s top quality hotels. Istanbul Convention & Visitors Bureau (ICVB) has all the contacts and information for your meetings in Istanbul.

City At a Glance Population: 14.000.000 Traffic Code: 34 Telephone Code: 0212 (European side) - 0216 (Asian side)

How to go Istanbul city has modern and new international airport, which is well connected by regular flights, with most important destinations in Europe, Middle East, and North America with. Besides, vast networks of flights fly between Istanbul and various other cities of Turkey.

Ataturk International Airport is 20 km from city center.

Helicopter service is also available between the cities.

What to do While in Istanbul there is so much to do and look forward to. The museums, castles, palaces, great mosques, bazaars and sights of natural beauty seem inexhaustible.

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Being a cultural and historical center, exploring the grand heritage of the city should be the top most priority.

Shopping which can be a pleasure in the markets of Istanbul should form another important part of your itinerary. More than anything else a walk down the lanes and by lanes of the many bazaars in Istanbul can be a great experience, if interested in feeling the culture and lifestyles of the people of this amazing land. ¡¡ ¡¡ ¡¡ ¡¡ ¡¡ ¡¡

What to see

Dolmabahçe Palace Küçüksu Pavillion St. Irene Blue Mosque Topkapi Palace Mosaic Museum

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Covered Bazaar St. Sophia Kariye Museum Beylerbeyi Palace Yerebatan Cistern Miniatürk

DESTINATIONS - IZMIR

Izmir, historically known as Smyrna, is the third most populous city of Turkey and has the country’s largest port after Istanbul. It is located in the Gulf of Izmir, by the Aegean Sea. It is the capital of Izmir Province. Izmir has the inherit of almost 3,500 years of urban past, and possibly up to that much more in terms of advanced human settlement patterns. It is Turkey’s first port for exports and it has free zone, a Turkish-U.S. joint-venture established in 1990, is the leader among the twenty that Turkey counts. Its workforce, and particularly its rising class of young professionals, is concentrated either in the city or in its immediate vicinity (such as in Manisa). Izmir is widely regarded as one of the most liberal Turkish cities in terms of values, ideology, lifestyle, dynamism and gender roles.

The Izmir Convention & Visitors Bureau (Izmir CVB) was founded in 2007 by Izmir Tourism Promotion Foundation (IZTAV), as a non-profit and independent organization. Izmir CVB’s mission is to promote the city’s rich cultural and natural assets .It has great potential on a national and international level and is seeking guidelines and best practice to develop the city’s congress tourism.

City At a Glance Population: 3,627,098 Traffic Code: 35 Telephone Code: 0232

How to go Adnan Menderes Airport, 16km south of the city center, has several daily flights to Istanbul, Ankara and Antalya. There are also regular flights from many European cities.

What to do While in Izmir see the sights, the Archaeological Museum near Konak Square, which houses a superb collection of antiques including the statues of Poseidon, and Demeter that in ancient times stood in the agora.

Neighboring the Archaeological Museum, the collection of the Ethnography Museum contains folkloric artifacts among which are fine collections of Bergama

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and Gördes carpets, traditional costumers and camel bridles. Situated on Atatürk Caddesi (Street) there is an old Izmir house used by the founder of the Turkish Republic, the Atatürk Museum, exhibits photographs of the leader as well as some of his personnel belongings.

The Selcuk Yasar Art Museum is a private museum on Cumhuriyet Boulevard with a collection of 20th century Turkish art. Wander in the bazaar, sip drinks and dine at the pleasant waterfront restaurants. ¡¡ ¡¡ ¡¡ ¡¡ ¡¡ ¡¡

What to see

Agora Pergamum – Bergama Milet - Dydima Clock Tower Kemeralti Kadifekale

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Asansor Ephesus – Selcuk Virgin Mary Alacati Seferhisar Cesme