MeeTurkey Magazine May issue

MEETURKEY May’2012 Year:18 No:68

Alternative Tourism & Incentive Magazine

The Birth of Religion

Göbeklitepe

From the Editor

May’2012 Year:18 NO:68

MICE Tourism of Turkey on Rise Since 2000, both domestic and inbound tourism of Turkey recorded a positive performance.

The performance of the travel and tourism industry was very strong in Turkey over the review period and even in 2011 it recorded positive growth.

The Ministry of Culture and Tourism’s marketing and promotional activities had a positive impact on the growth of travel and tourism in the country.

Tourism was also an important driver of growth for the Turkish economy over the review period. It is also same positive performance in MICE tourism.

First Istanbul Convention and Visitors Bureau organized strong marketing programme and promotes Istanbul and Turkey at previous years.

Then Antalya CVB also started to promote Antalya in MICE industry.

Both of them promote their MICE products to the industry on international MICE exhibitions all over the world. Beginning of this year Istanbul has been declared as 2012 European Capital of Sports at European Parliament.

In 2012 UEFA Congress organized in Istanbul at end of March, ABTA -UK Travel Agents Association- and Irish Travel Agents Association (ITAA) general assemblies will be in Antalya.

These are the samples of why Turkey now one of the preferred country for international congresses and events.

You will read all those news and other cultural & alternative tourism news in this issue.

PUBLISHER Suat TÖRE suattore@smpublication.com EDITOR IN CHIEF Sevil ÖREN sevil@smpublication.com EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD Kaya AKBAŞOĞLU kaya@smpublication.com Ali KIRGIZ ali@smpublication.com Kate CLOW kate@smpublication.com Füsun TÖRE fusun@smpublication.com Deniz TÜFEKÇİ deniz@smpublication.com Cahit ÜREN cahit@smpublication.com INT. RELATIONS Özgür TÖRE ozgur@ftnnews.com PUBLIC RELATIONS EXECUTIVE Özge TÖRE ozge@smpublication.com PHOTOS MeeTurkey Archive, Cekul, Gonul Paksoy - Reyhan Eksi, Kafkas Chesnuts COVER PHOTO La Fura dels Baus ART DIRECTOR Fatih TAHTALI OFFSET PREPARATION Repronet Reprodüksiyon FILM & PRINTED Özgür Matbaacılık

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Contents

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Istanbul Chamber of Commerce Invites Malaysians to invest in Turkey

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Relax Like a Sultan

The Istanbul Chamber of Commerce (ICOC), the world’s fifth largest chamber of commerce, will be a perfect gateway for Malaysian businessmen and investors to venture into Turkey.

ICOC chairman Dr Murat Yalcintas said it can also help them reach other promising markets with great potentials in the region.

History of bath goes back to Romans. Excavations made in Pompeii that stayed under ashes when Vesuvius Volcano exploded, revealed baths used by Romans. It is understood that those baths are not only used for cleanness but also for pleasure and entertainment.

32 20

International Confex London

Antalya Sand Sculpture Festival International Antalya Sand Sculpture Festival (Sandland) is a mega exhibition of sand sculptures that organized by Global Design Art Works. International Antalya Sand Sculpture Festival is considered the one of the largest sand event in the world, by the size of its sculptures and the area they occupy.

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The Birth of Religion Göbekli Tepe Göbekli Tepe, is a hilltop sanctuary erected on the highest point of an elongated mountain ridge some 15 km northeast of the town of Şanlıurfa, in southeastern Turkey and 1285km away from Istanbul, Turkey. It is the most astonishing archaeological discovery in modern times and also thought to be the oldest advanced civilization on Earth.

CONTENTS News Line Turkey ICVB News Meet at Exhibitions Cover Story Health & Wealth Fame & game Meet at Museum News Line World Meet at Weddings MICE Destinations D.M. Companies

06 18 20 24 30 32 34 38 42 44 48

The İstanbul Museum of Modern Art The İstanbul Museum of Modern Art, Turkey’s first private museum to organize modern and contemporary art exhibitions, was founded in 2004 and occupies an 8,000 square meter site on the shores of the Bosphorus. İstanbul Modern embraces a global vision to collect, preserve, exhibit and document works of modern and contemporary art and make them accessible to art lovers.

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Luxury Weddings in Moscow The Ritz-Carlton is acclaimed worldwide for creative luxury weddings, and this is especially the case at The Ritz-Carlton, Moscow, where weddings are of a scale and style fit for Hollywood celebrities and European aristocrats.

MEETURKEY Alternative Tourism & Incentive Magazine

May’2012

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News Line Turkey

Bookings Open Soon for ABTA’s 2012 Travel Convention in Turkey Bookings open soon, for ABTA’s 2012 Travel Convention held at the luxurious, state of the art, all-inclusive Cornelia Diamond Golf Resort & Spa in Belek, a short drive away from Antalya in the South of Turkey.

The Cornelia is an award winning five star complex, with a spa, sports and convention centre and its own 27 hole golf club, voted one of the top 100 in Europe. Additional accommodation will be provided in the outstanding five star Susesi Luxury Resort next door to the Cornelia.

Mark Tanzer ABTA Chief Executive said; “The 2012 Travel Convention is only six months away and with the exceptional facilities and accommodation on offer at the Cornelia and

Susesi resorts, delegates will come away with some amazing memories. For the first time in its history the Convention will be taking place in an all-inclusive resort which will help ensure that everyone can budget ahead of the event. Our Turkish hosts have already surpassed themselves with the quality of venue and they deserve our warmest thanks for welcoming us to their beautiful country.”

Tolga Tuyluoglu, Director of the Turkish Culture & Tourism Office in London said: “We are incredibly excited to be hosting The Travel Convention in Turkey for the first time since the event took place in Istanbul in 1996. We look forward to welcoming delegates to Belek and hope that this will give the UK travel industry an opportunity to experience the superb quality of this area’s all-inclusive resorts at first hand, and the chance to come and explore Turkey further.”

The Travel Convention dates: 10 – 12 October 2012.

Irish Travel Agents Association General Assembly to take place in Antalya ITAA - Irish Travel Agents Association general Assembly will be executed between 15 and 18 November 2012 in Belek, Antalya.

It will be the first time that ITAA will realize its General Assembly other than Spain or Portugal.

According to the information given by Sinan Inan, the director of Antalya Convention Bureau, the planning visits have been conducted with the delegation comprised of Pat Dawson, the CEO of ITAA, Jean Maxwell, from the Membership Executive and Irwin Gill, from the Turkish Airlines Sales Marketing and Travel Trade in Ireland. They have also visited the Hotel where the General Assembly will be held and identified various prepost venues.

Sinan Inan affirmed that this event, which will be realized with the support of Tolga Tuyluoğlu, the director of London Tourism Office, the Ministry of Culture and with the works of Millennium Golf Travel - a member of Antalya Convention Bureau-, will carry a great importance for the promotion of Antalya to Irish Travel Agents Association members.

Inan said that, Irish Travel Agents Association made a radical decision for the first time by accepting of a different country to organize its General Assembly. He highlighted the importance of this issue and told “We must realize a very successful event”.

Inan added, he is sure that Antalya will be successful in this regard.

According to Sinan Inan, this event will be also a good opportunity to present all of the congress and incentive facilities and relevant elements of Antalya.

Intra Tours Hosted Italians for a Workshop Intra Tourism organised a meeting and a workshop for top tourism officials that come to Istanbul from Genoa (Liguria) to promote their region to those working in Turkish tourism.

The introductory meeting and workshop was organised by Intra tourism at the Marmara Hotel on 17th April. There was a lot of interest in the workshop which was attended by outgoing Turkish travel agents and tour operators. Intra Tourism’s CEO, Ertugrul Karaoğlu opened the meeting, and introduced the President of Sistema Turistico Golfo dei Poeti, Damiano Pinelli who said “the close relationship between peoples of the two areas is very important. In the past they developed a close relationship as sea-faring peoples, and Istanbul, with its strategic position at the cross-roads of two continents, had close commercial ties with the city of Genoa.”

“This wonderful, welcoming city provides a wealth of cultural and touristic experiences. It can find much in common with the maritime city of Genoa, with its natural beauty and rich art.

He said, “It was in 2006 that a delegation from Genoa first met the Beyoglu Municipality. In order to further strengthen the ties between the two cities, in June we want to arrange a photographic exhibition which will take place in both Istanbul and Genoa.”

“We are very happy that we have had the opportunity to get to know your beautiful city better and to strengthen the historic ties between the Galata region and the Genoese tour operators”, he said.

After speeches from Mauro Bolognesi and Marco Greco of the

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Sistema Turistico delegation, the Manager of Turkish Airlines (THY) in Genoa, Ufuk Unal took the microphone and said that it was very easy to reach Genoa with THY’s direct flight services.

Following the workshop, guests were treated with Liguria wine and specialties prepared by the head chef of Porto Venere, Abramo Prandi, and everyone had a very enjoyable evening.

The Genoa city centre is close to the airport and the city has potential for tourism throughout the year. It has a bed capacity of 6000 beds, including a number of 5 star hotels which offer accommodation on bed and breakfast basis.

MEETURKEY Alternative Tourism & Incentive Magazine

News Line Turkey

Major Decisions Taken by the UEFA Congress in Istanbul The XXXVI Ordinary UEFA Congress that brought UEFA’s 53 member associations took place at the Istanbul Congress Centre in Istanbul at end of March.

Turkey has expressed its pride and honour at hosting the European football family and distinguished guests at the congress.

The Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan – a passionate football man – spoke of the need for football to be a symbol of peace and friendship. He urged continued work and investment to encourage as many young people as possible to become involved in sport, and called on sport to fight negative phenomena such as match-fixing and racism.

“For 15 years I gave a lot to football,” said Mr Erdoğan, “and I learned discipline and other virtues for the rest of my life.

Indeed, football should be kept an instrument of peace, solidarity and fair play.

“I’d like to thank UEFA for coming back to Turkey and Istanbul.

Turkey is a country which is in love with football and whose people contribute to football. We are building new facilities and are making our presence more noticeable.”

Istanbul has hosted the 2005 UEFA Champions League final and 2009 UEFA Cup final in recent years, and Antalya will stage the UEFA European Women’s Under-19 Championship this summer. In addition, Turkey will hold the 2013 FIFA U-20 World Cup. “We have a young population and a large sporting population,” said the Prime Minister. “We want to contribute friendship and peace through sport – football is the language of peace.” The congress was the occasion for signature ceremonies of the renewed Memorandums of Understanding

that have been agreed with the European Club Association (ECA), the European Professional Football Leagues (EPFL) and the players’ union FIFPro Division Europe.

The major decisions taken by the UEFA Congress in Istanbul included the approval of minimum contractual requirements for players’ contracts (the so-called Autonomous Agreement) as a consequence of the European social dialogue bringing together representatives of the employers and of the employees.

The President of world football’s governing body FIFA, Joseph S Blatter, highlighted the importance of UEFA to the world football movement. “Thank you to the UEFA Executive Committee and the UEFA President Michel Platini for the excellent relationship which exists between UEFA and FIFA,” he said. “Congratulations to Europe for all the efforts that you are making to ensure that the game remains a game.”

UEFA President Michel Platini said, “This Congress was based on the sign of football unity between the national associations, and unity with the clubs, leagues and players,” said Mr Platini.

“I am very happy today to have unified all the football family here in Istanbul.”

Turkey Celebrates Official London Book Fair

In an official handover ceremony on 18th April, on the final day of the fair, The London Book Fair, the British Council, the General Administration for Press and Publication (GAPP) and the Turkish Ministry for Culture and Tourism formally inaugurated Turkey as Market Focus for 2013.

The official handover was attended on behalf of outgoing Market Focus country, China, by Wu Shulin, Vice Minister for General Administration of Press and Publications (GAPP), and Professor Onur Bilge Kula, General Director of Libraries and Publications, and Hakan Gunday, author, accepted the honour on behalf of Turkey.

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Turkey was chosen as The London Book Fair Market Focus for 2013 to reflect the country’s dramatic rise in stature within the international publishing community over the last decade, not least since Orhan Pamuk won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 2006. The London Book Fair Market Focus initiative is currently in its ninth year and has done much to open doors, creating both commercial and cultural partnerships around the world since it was first introduced by The London Book Fair in 2004. The objective of the Market Focus is to put the spotlight on publishing trade links with the country or region that is showcased, highlighting its publishing industry, and the opportunities for conducting business with the rest of the world. This year’s programme of events has been one of the most stimulating and varied to date, as well as doing much to cement crucial new relationships between East and West.

As in past years, the Market Focus programme will be supported with an exciting series of cultural events organised by the British Council, The London Book Fair’s strategic partner on The London Book Fair’s cultural programme.

The signing of the Memorandum of Understanding attended

by Onur Bilge Kula, General Director of the Turkish Ministry of Culture and Tourism and The London Book Fair took place in September 2011. The London Book Fair 2013 takes place 15-17 April, Earls Court London.

MEETURKEY Alternative Tourism & Incentive Magazine

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News Line Turkey

Istanbul Shopping Fest 2012 is from June 9 to 29 Istanbul captured 8 million of those tourists. Günay stated that their goal for 2012 is to host over 10 million tourists in Istanbul. Günay also revealed that plans are in place to hold a Shopping Fest in Ankara, modeled after the ISF. “I am also expecting similar efforts from a number of our cities such as Izmir, Antalya and Antep. They are competing with Istanbul as Istanbul competes with the world,” states Günay.

During this summer’s Istanbul Shopping Festival, all of the city’s shopping centers will be kept open until 23:00 on Friday’s and Saturdays. Moreover some of them will remain open until 02:00 am. Istanbul will become the one and only entertainment center of its region for 20 days with various street carnival The 2nd Istanbul Shopping Fest 2012 will be held between the groups, concerts, toys and games for children, parties, dates June 9 to 29, 2012. A conference organized at TIM Show contests, fashion shows and performances.

Center with the participation of Turkish Culture and Tourism Minister Ertugrul Günay to inform details of this year’s festival. Istanbul Governor Hüseyin Avni Mutlu said that the Development Agency has designated 20 million liras of grant The 2nd Istanbul Shopping Fest 2012 will be held under the funds from their total 95 million liras, solely for tourism. leadership of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism and the Mutlu added that they will be providing between 200,000 Governorship of Istanbul, and organized with the support of the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality and TIM in collaboration and 1,000,000 liras in support for projects in Istanbul. People interested in can apply until May 7, 2012. with the Council of Shopping Centers Turkey (AYD), the Trade Council of Shopping Centers & Retailers (AMPD), and the United Brands Association (UBA), The Festival will be held in June; in consideration of the school term dates in Turkey and in neighboring countries, and will last 20 days. The festival, which will have discounts of up to 50 percent on offer, is anticipated to bring in 7 billion liras. According to Turkey’s Exporters’ Assembly Chair Mehmet Büyükekşi, last year, there was a 15 percent increase in foreign visitors and a 26 percent increase in shopping. In June 2011, a total of 773,092 tourists visited Istanbul, this year’s target to attract over 850,000 tourists to Istanbul. Azerbaijanis ranked top at the spending, followed by UAE and China. On the other hand, Iranians ranked first when it comes to shopping, followed by Azerbaijanis and Russians.

Details are at the slideshow photos. During the 2011 Istanbul Shopping Fest, total revenue from the foreign cards totaled 252 million TL. This year’s aim is to receive same amount in 21 days. Turkish Culture and Tourism Minister Ertugrul Günay said that Turkey hosted 31.5 million tourists in 2011 and

The 31st Istanbul Film Festival Concluded with Golden Tulip Awards Golden Tulip International Competition Awards

The 31st Istanbul Film Festival concluded with a gala ceremony that presented Golden Tulip Awards.

The closure gala and awards ceremony took place at Lütfi Kırdar Convention and Exhibition Centre, on Saturday, 14 April.

The closure gala and the awards ceremony were presented by Memet Ali Alabora, and were streamed live on CNN TURK.

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The jury of the 31st Istanbul Film Festival Golden Tulip International Competition is headed by director Nuri Bilge Ceylan. The other members of the jury are the actor Alexander Fehling, director Brillante Mendoza, director Corneliu Porumboiu, and journalist Elçin Yahşi. The Golden Tulip International Competition Award, which has been presented in memory of Şakir Eczacıbaşı for two years at the Istanbul Film Festival. The Golden Tulip International Competition Award is also supported with a 25,000 Euro monetary award given by the Eczacıbaşı Group. 10,000 Euro is given to the director who wins the Golden Tulip Award, the Turkish company to distribute the film receives 10,000 Euros, and the remaining 5,000 Euros is presented to the film that receives the Special Jury Prize.

This year, “The Golden Tulip International Competition Award” presented in memory of Şakir Eczacıbaşı was given to Julia Loktev’s The Loneliest Planet. The award was presented to Julia Loktev by Nuri Bilge Ceylan, the Jury President of the Golden Tulip International Competition. The monetary award, given by the Eczacıbaşı Group was presented by İlkay Yıldırım Akalın, Eczacıbaşı Holding Corporate Communications and Sustainable Development Director. In the International Competition, the “Special Jury Prize” was given to Joachim Trier’s Oslo, August 31st. The award was handed to Ingrid Olava, actress of the film,

by Nuri Bilge Ceylan.

MEETURKEY Alternative Tourism & Incentive Magazine

News Line Turkey

Istanbul CVB Attends IT&CM China 2012 Istanbul Convention & Visitors Bureau (ICVB) attended the IT&CM China 2012 which took place from April 17 to 19 at Shanghai World Expo Exhibition & Convention Center.

ICVB was attended the exhibition for the first time. Together with ICVB and Turkish Embassy Culture & Information Section in Beijing, following companies exhibited at Turkey stand: Turkish Airlines, Dekon DMC, 1001 Direk Cistern, Istanbul

Congress Center. ICVB General Manager Elif Balcı Fisunoğlu and Sales & Marketing Coordinator Çağla Demircioğlu promoted Istanbul and Turkey’s meetings and convention products and services. Mrs. Deniz Eke; Consul General of Turkey and Mr. Yilmaz Tecmen; ICVB Vice President visited Turkey stand at IT&CM China and received information about the exhibition from exhibitors.

Istanbul to Feature at the new 007 James Bond Movie After shootings completed in Turkey’s southern province of Adana, the upcoming 007 James Bond flick, ‘Skyfall,’ began shooting in Istanbul.

Istanbul hosted the cast and crew of “Skyfall,” the next movie in the James Bond franchise and one of the most eagerly anticipated titles of the year. Started April 16, Istanbul’s busiest and most crowded neighbourhoods, Eminönü welcomed Daniel Craig, who has been portraying James Bond since 2006’s “Casino Royale” and the recently announced addition to the cast, Tonia Sotiropoulou. Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality, Turkish Culture and Tourism Ministry, Istanbul Governor’s Office and Fatih Municipality support the film which is directed by Sam Mendes. Shooting in Istanbul took place between April 16th to May 6th around the major landmarks of the Egyptian Bazaar, and Yeni Cami Square.

‘Skyfall’ will see Daniel Craig and Judi Dench continue their roles. The cast also includes Naomie Harris as a field agent named Eve, Javier Bardem as the main villain, Ben Whishaw as Q, Albert Finney, Rory Kinnear as Bill Tanner.

This latest Bond movie is being shot at Pinewood Studios in Buckinghamshire, Scotland, Whitehall in London, Shanghai and Istanbul. The screenplay is written

by Neal Purvis, Robert Wade and John Logan. ‘Skyfall’ will begin its worldwide roll-out in the UK and Ireland on October 26th, in Turkey on 2 November and a North American release following on November 9th. The Director of Photography is Roger Deakins, a nine-time Oscar nominee who previously shot the films ‘Jarhead’ and ‘Revolutionary Road’ for Mendes. Composer Thomas Newman will score the film.

Istanbul Archaeology Museums in World’s Top 10 Museums List The Istanbul Archaeological Museums entered Top 10 list of non-art museums compiled by VirtualTourist.com.

“When you mention the word “museum,” most travelers imagine the steps of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, or the throngs of people trying to sneak a peek at the Mona Lisa in the Louvre. While art may be the first thing to come to mind, many other subjects can be found in museums around the world” says VirtualTourist.com.

In order to help travelers culture vultures plan ahead, the members and editors of VirtualTourist.com have compiled a list of the “Top 10 Best Non-Art Museums.”

The Top 10 Best Non-Art Museums include; The Istanbul Archaeological Museums, The Egyptian Museum in Cairo, The National Air & Space Museum, in Washington, D.C., The Lower East Side Tenement Museum in New York City, The Musical Instrument Museum in Brussels, The VasaMuseet in Stockholm, Sweden, The Museo Nacional de Antropología in Mexico City, The Anne Frank Museum in Amsterdam, The British Museum in London, The Tokyo National Museum.

VirtualTourist.com said for the Istanbul Archaeological Museums, “Few areas have been controlled or inhabited by as many different cultures as the region of modern-day Turkey. Therefore, the Istanbul Archaeological Museums serve an important role: not only do the museums offer a broad sample of the country’s archeological treasures, but they also

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manage to cover the intertwining cultures that share a role in the nation’s history. One of the museums’ three buildings, the Tiled Kiosk Museum, is pictured here and houses antique Ottoman and Anatolian tiles, along with other Islamic objects.

VirtualTourist.com members noted that the museums are conveniently-located in the Sultanahmet area of the city and are very well-organized. They also noted that the museums and the shaded parks around them provided a nice change of pace from the crowds at nearby Topkapi Palace and Istanbul’s other crowded landmarks.”

MEETURKEY Alternative Tourism & Incentive Magazine

News Line Turkey

7th International Tulip Festival Begins in Istanbul The 7th edition of the International Istanbul Tulip Festival organized by the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (IMM) held in Istanbul between 7th and 29th of April, 2012.

While planting tulips in the gardens of Istanbul, the tulip shapes were created on the basis of geometric shapes and patterns in this year. For instance, the patterns created with the shape of amulets, waterfalls, Turkish National Flag were reflected on the parks. In 2004, the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (IMM) launched a campaign themed “İstanbul reunites with the tulip,” in order to “give the tulip back

to its motherland.” The campaign was a radical landscaping revolution and dramatically improved the look of the city. Mayor Kadir Topbaş in various speeches underlined that the tulip is an indispensable part of İstanbul’s life, and so it should be returned -- the main purpose of the campaign. According to the İstanbul Metropolitan Municipality Park and Gardens Directorate, a total of 11 million 650 thousand tulips of 104 different varieties were planted. Tulips of 104 different varieties were grown by villagers from Silivri, Çatalca, Şile, Pamukova and Geyve as well as those in the Çumra district of the Central Anatolian province of Konya.

One-hundred and four kinds of tulips have been planted this year from Silivri to Tuzla throughout İstanbul. The tulip buds were mainly grown in Çumra, a town of Konya, but were also grown by villagers of Silivri, Çatalca, Şile, Pamukova, and Geyve.

Tulip sales was held as part of the Tulip festival. Support for the villagers as well as the flower bulbs were improved and provided allowing for additional income opportunities for the producers.

Istanbul Hosts final leg of Presidential Cycling Tour of Turkey The 48th edition of the Presidential Cycling Tour of Turkey started in Alanya on April 22.

The route for the tour, which consists of a total eight legs, simultaneously offers cyclists a good opportunity

to see the country’s places of historic interest and natural beauty. This year’s European Capital of Sports, Istanbul is hosting the final leg of the Presidential Cycling Tour of Turkey on April 29. Professional cyclists will start from Alanya and run through Antalya, Fethiye, Bodrum, Kuşadası and İzmir. Sports enthusiasts keen to follow the fast-peddling cyclists will also enjoy a fabulous touristic itinerary. The Presidential Cycling Tour of Turkey is of critical importance for promoting the country abroad due to the number of key touristic sites along its route. 25 international teams are taking part in this year’s tour, which is offering viewers some incredible sights around Turkey.

BookinTurkey.com & TripAdvisor Cooperate TripAdvisor ®, the world’s largest travel site, signed an agreement with Turkey’s first online tourism website; BookinTurkey.com.

Initially the agreement covers the reservation option at 537 hotels in Turkey for bookings made in USA and UK through the

TripAdvisor website and availability of making reservation at 99 hotels for bookings made in Turkey.

TripAdvisor offers trusted advice from real travelers and a wide variety of travel choices and planning features with seamless links to booking tools. TripAdvisor-branded sites make up the largest travel community in the world, with more than 50 million unique monthly visitors, and over 60 million reviews and opinions. The sites operate in 30 countries worldwide.

WOW Istanbul Hosted World Athletics People The 14th World Athletics Championship, which was hosted

by Istanbul between 09 and 11 March, has been completed successfully.

A big majority of the sports people, who participated in the Championship, was accommodated at WOW Istanbul Hotels.

WOW Istanbul Hotels Convention Center General Director Ziya Cihan, who emphasized that Istanbul has become the center of significant International Sports Organizations in the recent years, stated that Istanbul has become powerful in Sports Tourism in addition to Congress Tourism. Cihan also indicated that the successful completion of the 14th World Athletics Championship in Istanbul will be an important reference and added, “Everybody related to the Championship worked

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very hard and Istanbul came out of this Championship with a good name. Besides, the success that the Turkish sports people earned at the Championship made us proud. At the Championship, 379 sports people from 178 countries were accommodated in WOW Istanbul Hotels. We served as the accreditation center of the Championship and organized the gala night. It made us very happy to provide the catering of hundreds of successful sports people with special menus, to ensure their unproblematic accommodation and to serve at the gala night full of entertainment after a challenging championship”.

Ziya Cihan continued saying that the WOW Istanbul Hotels served at numerous International Sports Organizations since they were founded and he also said that: “Previously we hosted important international sports organizations such as the World Adults Wrestling Championship, the Karate Open Tournament, the Bosphorus Judo Tournament, European Table Tennis Championship and European Short Course Swimming Championship and thus, we gained important experiences. One of the most important factors in our completing the 14th World Athletics Championship successfully has been our experience.”

MEETURKEY Alternative Tourism & Incentive Magazine

News Line Turkey

Barceló Hotels Celebrated ‘Feria de Abril’ in Istanbul “Feria de Abril” is known as celebrating and welcoming the beginning of spring in the city of Seville in Spain.

As part of this tradition like in the past years, Feria de Abril has taken place in Barceló Eresin Topkapi Hotel which belongs to Barceló Hotels and Resorts.

Many company & travel agency officials and the press attended Feria de Abril supported with the contributions of Institute of Cervantes on 10th of April.

The most successful travel agencies and other companies were given rewards by Mr. Enrique Acrich who is general manager of all Barceló Hotels in Turkey. Famous Spanish flamenco dancer Manuel Reina and his dance group presented an unforgettable and fascinating flamenco dance performance to the audience.

Traditional and very delicious Spanish dishes including Gazpacho, Valencian style paella amazed guests at the night.

In Brief l

Istanbul Convention & Visitors Bureau (ICVB) announced that Çağla Demircioğlu has been appointed to ICVB as Sales & Marketing Coordinator.

Mehmet Balcik

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Alper Can Bulcum, who was working for the Abu Dhabi based Rotana Hotels as General Manager of Dubai Burjuman Rotana, is now in Istanbul. Bulcum named General Manager

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at Wyndham Istanbul Kalamış Marina.

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Tayyar Gül has been elected as the new President of Kemer Touristic Hotels & Investors

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Association - KETOB.

Alper Can Bulcum

Cagla Demircioglu

Hilton Worldwide announced the appointment of Funda Eratici as the group’s Sales

Funda Eratici

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Director responsible for Eastern Europe, Israel, Russia and Turkey.

Hakan Alpay

Erhan Cakay

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Suvat Avci is the new General Manager of Marmaris Resort Hotel & Spa.

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Hilton Dalaman Sarigerme Resort & Spa appointed a new General Manager.

Hakan Alpay is the new General Manager of the property.

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Sinan Halic promoted to TURSAB Board Member as deputy president.

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Serdar Baş has been appointed to General Manager of Sheraton Çeşme Resort & Spa.

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Erhan Çakay has been appointed to Karnak Travel as General Manager.

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Kemal Sinmez has been appointed Sheraton Istanbul Ataköy Hotel as Director of Sales

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CMY

Suvat Avci

Cagri Erolsun

and Marketing.

Cantug Besgur

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Fulya Erdemci is the Curator of the 13th Istanbul Biennial.

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W Istanbul has announced that Mehmet Balçık is the new General Manager.

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Cantuğ Beşgür named as the new General Manager of Dedeman Rize Hotel.

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Dedeman Holding announced the appointment of new General Manager, Dr. Çağrı Erolsun

Fulya Erdemci

to Dedeman Real Estate Development.

Volkan Simsek

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Giovanni Terracciano is the new Executive Chef of The Mövenpick Hotel Istanbul.

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Volkan Simsek appointed as Vice President of Rixos Hotels.

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Murat Yetisgen has been appointed as the new General Manager at Hilton Garden Inn

Giovanni Terracciano

Mardin.

Murat Yetisgen

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Berrin Uşkay has been named Assistant General Manager of Claros Tour.

MEETURKEY Alternative Tourism & Incentive Magazine

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Berrin Uskay

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yeni yapıtlar, yeni ufuklar new works, new horizons KURUCU FOUNDER

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ICVB News

Istanbul CVB Launches the Istanbul Delegate Boosting Kit Designed to provide associations with easy-to-use, comprehensive marketing tools for congresses and events in Istanbul, the Istanbul Convention & Visitors Bureau’s new Istanbul Delegate Boosting Kit contains everything from magazine advertisements to postcards to high-resolution photos to editorial content.

Available freeof-charge from the Bureau, the Delegate Boosting Kit is just one more way Istanbul adds value to your international congress or meeting.

In response to increasing demand from associations hosting international events in Istanbul, which in 2010 ranked as the seventh most popular congress destination worldwide, ICVB has launched the Istanbul Destination Marketing Kit (Istanbul Delegate Boosting Kit). This kit contains all the materials convention and congress planners need to effectively promote their next event in

Istanbul, as well as its venues and attractions.

Elif Balcı Fisunoğlu, General Manager of ICVB, described the toolkit as an effective marketing tool to capture the interest and imagination of delegates, encouraging them to attend their association’s congress in Istanbul, saying: “We listened to what local and international associations and our meeting planner partners were saying, and we put together what we believe is an exciting collection of tools to make them more effective in marketing their events. Throughout, we kept the focus on simplicity, taking a ‘Your Logo Here’ approach to keep it easy and help our partners do their jobs better, faster and more easily.”

The material in the Istanbul Delegate Boosting Kit DVD includes extensive editorial and marketing content that was developed based on the experience ICVB has gained since its founding in 1997 as a non-profit destination marketing organization and input from associations hosting international events in Istanbul.

The toolkit includes: - A guide to using the kit - Ready-to-use marketing materials like ads, posters, postcards - Online promotional tools including banners and e-mail headers - High-resolution photos and full-length articles on Istanbul, as well as on topics such as attractions, cuisine, shopping and more - Three promotional videos showing potential delegates just how visually striking the city of Istanbul is, including a documentary that explores 24-hours in the life of the city - Information about travel incentives through Turkish Airlines’ Meeting Industry & Turkish Conventions program Meeting Planners can receive a copy of the Istanbul Destination Marketing Kit (Istanbul Delegate Boosting Kit) by contacting the Istanbul Convention & Visitors Bureau ( Istanbul@icvb.org This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it )

Istanbul Chamber of Commerce Invites Malaysians to invest in Turkey The Istanbul Chamber of Commerce (ICOC), the world’s fifth largest chamber of commerce, will be a perfect gateway for Malaysian businessmen and investors to venture into Turkey.

ICOC chairman Dr Murat Yalcintas said it can also help them reach other promising markets with great potentials in the region.

“ICOC is the largest NGO (non-governmental organisation) in Turkey as well as one of the largest chambers of the world.

“Our 350,000 members make us a good potential partner for business seekers. So to speak, we represent Istanbul, the heart of Turkish economy,” Yalcintas said.

He added that Istanbul, as a rapidly expanding metropolis with its cosmopolitan texture and vast potential for future business and investment opportunities, is one of the strongest candidates to emerge as a new regional hub for economic activities, intraregional trade and financial transactions.

“If our Malaysian friends have any business offers and demands, our member database is at their service.

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“Furthermore, if there is a considerable interest in Turkish market

by Malaysian companies, we can organise partnership days or bilateral meetings to bring large groups of businessmen from both sides together, so that they can build connections and develop new partnerships,” Yalcintas said.

He sees great potential for improving trade between Turkey and Malaysia.

“Malaysia had a total external trade volume of around US$365 billion in 2010, whereas Turkish external trade volume was US$300 billion.

“Trade volume between Turkey and Malaysia was only US$1.4 billion the same year, only 0.45 per cent of Turkey’s total trade volume and less than 0.4 per cent of Malaysia’s total external trade. Thus there is a lot of room for further cooperation,” he explained.

Yalcintas pointed out that there was a huge gap between the two countries’ revenues.

Turkey’s exports to Malaysia in 2010 were only US$225 million, while its imports from Malaysia were higher than US$1.1 billion.

In 2011, Turkey’s imports exceeded US$1.5 billion (RM4.5 billion), while its exports dropped down to US$183 million (RM549 million).

“That means the trade deficit that we are running against Malaysia worsened further,” he remarked.

To whet Malaysia’s appetite in Turkey, ICOC is organising Turkish Products Exhibition, starting from Saturday until March 3, at the Marriott Hotel in Kuala Lumpur.

MEETURKEY Alternative Tourism & Incentive Magazine

Istanbul CVB Hosted Swiss Buyers Istanbul Convention & Visitors Bureau (ICVB) and Turkish Culture and Tourism Ministry Zurich Office organised a familiarisation trip to Istanbul for meeting planners and incentive organisers of Switzerland in March 2012 in cooperation with Gretz Communications AG. A total of 11 executives and managers representing companies such as; American Express Meetings & Events, Hogg Robinson Switzerland Ltd., Kuoni, MCI, Gretz Communications AG, Uniqueworld GmbH, Rosser Events, Incentive Reisen AG, First Business Travel FCM, OTA-Outdoor Training Academy GmbH, Quittenbaum GmbH had chance to not only see Istanbul’s finest hotels and event venues, but to also get a feel and sense of the unique atmosphere and culture of the city.

The guests had the opportunity of visiting the highlighted venues and sights of Istanbul. Within the part of familiarisation trip, the Swiss group joined welcome cocktail at the trip’s accommodation sponsor; Istanbul Edition Hotel after following the Istanbul presentation by ICVB General Manager Elif Balcı Fisunoğlu and Turkish Airlines presentation by Turkish Airlines representatives.

Before visiting Nar Restaurant that serves authentic Turkish Cuisine for lunch, group experienced how to make a sugar candy and Turkish delight from Turkey’s famous chef; Vedat Başaran.

After having lunch at Nar Restaurant, the Swiss meeting planners and incentive organisers visited 1001 Direk Cistern and watched the whirling dervishes at the 1700 year old cistern. The group got their dinner on board of a cruise by Bosphorus. Later the group relaxed and enjoyed the night at Istanbul’s popular nightclub; Reina. In many visits in the city group had chance to experience the local transportation such as; metro and trams.

They expressed their satisfaction for the ease of transportation facilities across the city. Next day, another highlighted venue of Istanbul, Esma Sultan Pavilion; the water side mansion on the shores of the Bosphorus, hosted the group. In order to promote Istanbul’s culture and art life, the group visited Sakıp Sabancı Museum which exhibits “Rembrandt and his Contemporaries The Golden Age of Dutch Art”. Group enjoyed their lunch at Muze de

Changa located at the terrace of the Sakıp Sabancı Museum with the views of Bosphorus.

For the second leg of culture and art tour, the group visited headquarters of Istanbul Foundation for Culture and Arts (IKSV).

Presentation by IKSV, presented the evolution of culture and art in the city. The group continued their tour by walking from Galata Tower to Istiklal Street where they found chance to do some shopping. After an inspection tour at The Marmara Pera Hotel, the group enjoyed their dinner at Mikla Restaurant that overlooks historical peninsula and Golden Horn.

Four Season Sultanahmet Hotel welcomed Swiss group for brunch. The group expressed their admiration and astonishment with the number of palaces and historic unusual venues in Istanbul. Before leaving Istanbul, the group visited the historic places of Istanbul near Sultanahmet including the Blue Mosque, Hagia Sophia Museum, Spice Market and Grand Bazaar.

Feedback from buyers following the trip has been extremely positive and encouraging. Few comments are as below; “Back in Zürich with lots of wonderful memories, I would like to thank the Istanbul Convention & Visitors Bureau for the perfect organisation of a wonderful and memorable famtrip to Istanbul.

The high-end hotels, restaurants and venues combined with the warm Turkish hospitality and magnificent culture were highly impressive. We very much look forward to recommending Istanbul to our clients and look forward to our co-operation on future groups” Soraiya “The whole trip to Istanbul was just amazing. I will definitely push our clients to come to Istanbul. Many thanks and wishing you a lovely day.” Sabrina Rappo “I absolutely enjoyed the nice program you prepared for us and it has been a great pleasure to take part at this FAM Trip. I will definitively propose Istanbul as a MICE destination to our client and I hope I will get back to you with a new request very soon.

Thank you very much for making me discover Istanbul in such a nice way.” Cynthia Birchler.

FDI 2013 AWDC will be in Istanbul The 101st FDI Annual World Dental Congress is set to take place in Istanbul, Turkey, from 29 August to 1 September 2013. Joint organisers FDI and the Turkish Dental Association (TDA) made the announcement on 12 April at a press conference in Istanbul. FDI and TDA fielded a three-member team—TDA President Prof Taner Yücel, FDI Executive Director Dr Jean-Luc Eiselé and FDI Councillor Prof Nermin Yamalik—to address some 40 members of the international and national media, officials from TDA and a number of FDI’s corporate partners, Prof Yücel stressed the importance of the 2013 Annual World Dental Congress in Turkey as a means of furthering the cause of oral health throughout the country. He emphasised that it was the duty of TDA, with input from its partners in business, academia and government, to ensure the event’s success.

FDI Executive Director Jean-Luc Eiselé thanked TDA for its continued support, notably in its past and current contributions to work of the Council and Standing Committees.

He stressed that the four pillars of FDI—governance, advocacy, science and education, and FDI’s corporate partners, whose research and products “are essential to achieving the FDI mission of ‘Leading the world to optimal oral health’”—will be very much in evidence during the 2013 Annual World Dental Congress.

ICVB General Manager Elif Balcı Fisunoğlu said, “ICVB was supporting the event to come to Istanbul. I am very happy that Istanbul is elected as the venue of the FDI Annual World Dental Congress”. FDI is convinced that Istanbul’s traditional role as an economic and cultural hub for Europe, Central Asia, the Middle East, North Africa—meeting where the continents meet—will make it the ideal AWDC venue, conducive to enhanced networking opportunities.

The first International Congress of Technology Addiction is organized 6-8 April 2012 at Grand Cevahir Convention Center in Istanbul.

The congress is held in order to raise awareness about “technology addiction - spread quickly in our country and around the world and known as a disease of our age- to create solutions

and discuss preventive measures.

Experts discussed the preventive measure about “technology addiction” that can open incurable wounds especially in the development of children and adolescents during the period of physical, psychological, mental and social development.

The congress had been organized with the cooperation of Republic of Turkey Ministry of National Education, CSFA Association, Umraniye Municipality and Marmara University.

Istanbul Hosted First International Congress of Technology Addiction

MEETURKEY Alternative Tourism & Incentive Magazine

May’2012

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Exhibition

International Confex London

International Confex 2012 took place 6-8 March 2012 at the ExCeL London – UK. Thirteen Turkish companies attended the exhibition at Turkey stand, which is organized by the Turkish Culture & Tourism Office in London and ICVB and located just at the entrance of the exhibition. The exhibition is visited by 12.000 visitors in 3 days. International Confex’s Portfolio Director, Jonny Sullens, said, “This year’s show is the industry’s window to the world, and will give people confidence for the Olympics this summer”.

Istanbul Convention & Visitors Bureau

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General Manager Mrs. Elif Balci Fisunoglu, who attended International Confex 2012, said “I am very satisfied with this year’s event. We had 3 busy days; meetings with hosted buyers, presenting them our city. We have started working on 26 business leads that we received at Confex 2012”. Confex for the first time organized “Destination Presentations” at the Global Village stand. The stand showcased stunning destinations from around the world all in one place. Turkey organized two 20-minute presentations on Tuesday and Wednesday at the Global Village. On 6 March 2012, ICVB General Manager Elif Balcı Fisunoğlu and ICCA members from Turkey attended the ICCA

MEETURKEY Alternative Tourism & Incentive Magazine

Reception. Turkey stand has been selected as the Best International Destination Stand at Confex London as the country also won in 2010. Together with ICVB and Turkish Culture & Tourism Office in London following companies exhibited at the Turkey stand: Antalya Convention Bureau, Izmir Convention & Visitors Bureau, Turkish Airlines London Office, ATY Group Special Event Planning, Rixos Hotels, Efes Congress Center Kuşadası, Istanbul Convention & Exhibition Centre, Istanbul Congress Center, Haliç Congress Center, 7 Tur Tourism, Vision Production Services, and 1001 Direk Cistern.

GIBTM Facilitates Growth This year’s Gulf Incentive, Business Travel and Meetings Exhibition saw exhibitors and buyers universally describing the show as business-focused, highly successful and the best in its six year history.

High-quality appointments, enhanced show features and the new show format made this year’s edition outstanding.

The rise in high-quality senior buyers at GIBTM 2012, especially from the Middle East and Asia, as well as a 100 percent increase in buyers from Saudi Arabia compared to last year, greatly contributed to exhibitor satisfaction. Pleased with a 17

MEETURKEY Alternative Tourism & Incentive Magazine

percent increase in exhibitors from across 36 countries, Lois Hall, GIBTM Exhibitions Manager commented. Istanbul Convention & Visitors Bureau attended the 6th edition of the Gulf Incentive, Business Travel and Meetings Exhibition (GIBTM) which was held at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre from March 26 to 28, 2012.

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Exhibition

IT&CM China ITCM China organized in Shanghai Expo between April 17to 19.More than 300 international and Chinese exhibiting companies attended the exhibition space amounting to over 6,000 sqm.

The larger exhibition showcase has been

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attributed primarily to new participants.

50 new international and domestic exhibiting companies, covered over 25% of the total IT&CM China 2012 showcase and promoted their products. More than 100 international and local media attended on IT&CM China 2012.Turkey representative, S&M Publication of the show also participated with medai partner

MEETURKEY Alternative Tourism & Incentive Magazine

publications as MeeTurkey and FTNNEWS. Istanbul Convention & Visitors Bureau (ICVB) participated IT&CM China 2012 together with Turkish Embassy Culture & Information Section in Beijing, Turkish Airlines, Dekon DMC, 1001 Direk Cistern and Istanbul Congress Center.

MEETURKEY Alternative Tourism & Incentive Magazine

May’2012

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Cover Story

The Birth of Religion

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Göbekli Tepe

öbekli Tepe, is a hilltop sanctuary erected on the highest point of an elongated mountain ridge some 15 km northeast of the town of Şanlıurfa, in southeastern Turkey and 1285km away from Istanbul, Turkey. It is the most astonishing archaeological discovery in modern times and also thought to be the oldest advanced civilization on Earth.

In 13 years of excavation, only 5% of this civilization has been discovered.

Carbon dating confirms this site to be 12,000 years old, almost 7,000 years older than the Mesopotamian fertile crescent (the cradle of civilization).

Lately, I’ve come across a number of stories in the news about very ancient archeological sites, which pre-date the Egyptian Pyramids by a fair bit.

Although some very ancient sites are known (for example, the oldest remains in Jericho have been dated to about 9000 BC), I was under the impression that these were very fragmentary (perhaps known only by a hearth fire or a few stone structures), and little detailed information exists.

Cover Story

Göbekli Tepe is located in southern Turkey, just north of the Syrian border.

The antecedents to civilization in this region of the middle east were the Kebaranculture (a nomadic late paleolithic people who lived in the Levant and Sinai around 18,000 to 10,000 BC), and the Natufianculture (a mesolithic hunter-gatherer culture from about 12,500 to 9,500 BC who were unusual in that they built permanent settlements even before the dawn of agriculture).

The oldest settlement of Jericho is in fact Natufian. So this region of the middle east was quite advanced for its time, perhaps due to an abundance of natural resources.

Göbekli Tepe is a site in Turkey, just north of the Syrian border, a bit south of the Euphrates river, and about 15 km northeast of the town Sanilurfa in Turkey. The site is on top of a small hill (Göbekli Tepe means “hill with a navel” or “hill with a belly” in Turkish). The site was examined in the early 1960’s by archeologists from the University of Chicago, and the University of Istanbul. It was part of a larger survey of the region, and at the time, it was dismissed as the remains of a medieval monastery. Three decades later, a local shepherd noticed some oddly shaped stones on the ground. The news reached the curators

of the local museum in Sanilurfa, about 50 km away, and eventually to the government ministry in charge of antiquities. They contacted the German Archeological Institute in Istanbul. As a consequence, Klaus Schmidt re-

The mound at Göbekli Tepe

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Cover Story examined the site in 1994, and noted that various artifacts found at the site were similar to those found at nearby sites which had been carbon dated to as early as 9,000 B.C. Excavation starts with a German-Turkish team.

The Göbekli site is spread over an area of about 22 acres on a sort of plateau among the hills. There is a gently rounded mound, about 300 meters in diameter and 15 meters high, on the plateau. From the site there is an almost uninterrupted view of the horizon on all sides. To the north is the Taurus range, to the east the Karadağ. In the south, the Harran plain stretches away to Syria. To the west is a series of ridges over which the road from Orencik traverses, to reach the site.

Barely an acre of the site has been excavated so far. The site consists of a number of stone buildings and walls which date to the period between 9,000 BC and 8,000 BC, although the beginning of the earliest construction appears to be as old as 11,000 BC or 12,000 BC. This is certainly before the beginning of agriculture anywhere in the world, before

the invention of the wheel, the creation of pottery.

Göbekli Tepe was built by a hunting/ gathering society.

Twelve thousand years ago, the region was ecologically richer than it is today, and probably supported large numbers of animals. Klaus Schmidt, the chief archeologist of Göbekli Tepe speculates that hunter/gatherer bands or tribes met during part of the year, lived near the site in animal skin tents, hunted local game, and built the complex over several decades. A large number of flint arrowheads found near the site support this idea. Bones of wild animals are found in great profusion, many of

them bearing marks indicating that the animals were butchered. All the bones are from wild animals, mostly gazelles, but also boar, red deer, wild sheep, as well as several species of birds.

Many of the stone pillars found at the site weigh between 15-20 tons (some up to 50 tons), and archeologists have estimated that it took a work force of at least 500 people to cut them from

Showing the T-Stones at one of the “huts”.

quarries up to a kilometer away, and bring them to the site.

The structures are primarily round or oval megalithic buildings. There are at least 7 such circular stone buildings, ranging from about 10-30 meters in size, of which 4 have been excavated.

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Geomagnetic data suggests that at least 16 more buildings are still buried in the hill, along with 200+ more T-shaped standing stones. The buildings consist of walls of unworked rough stone, about 6 feet high. Along the walls are T-shaped stones, about 9-10 feet tall, many of them covered with carvings of animals.

It’s speculated that these T-stones may have once supported a roof. In the middle of the buildings are a pair of larger T-shaped stones.

Nearby quarries have even more pillars which were still in the process of being cut. The largest was found in a quarry about a kilometer from the Göbekli site, and was almost 30 feet tall. It was cracked, which was probably why it had never been moved. Many reliefs were carved on the pillars, such as foxes, lions, cattle, wild boars, herons,

MEETURKEY Alternative Tourism & Incentive Magazine

ducks, scorpions, ants and snakes. There were also a number of free-standing sculptures, which probably also represent animals, though it is hard to tell because they are heavily encrusted with lime.

There are also a number of carvings cut into the walls, which have not been properly dated so far. It’s notable that most of the carvings are of dangerous animals, such as lions, snakes, scorpions and spiders, and relatively few of useful or harmless animals. Various stone tools such as hammers and blades have been found, which resemble similar stone tools found at other nearby sites which have also been dated to roughly 9,000 B.C. The floors are made of burnt lime (terrazzo), similar to floors in ancient Roman buildings of a much later period.

There is a low bench running around the inside of the outer walls.

Cover Story

Detail of a T-stone, showing carved lizard.

No evidence of habitation has been found at the site, so there is nothing to suggest that people actually lived there. There are no remains of cooking hearths or garbage pits. For this reason, it has been suggested that the site was used for religious or ceremonial purposes.

No tombs or graves have been found, although it has been suggested that the site served as a center for a cult of the dead. This is because human remains have been found outside the perimeter of the site, suggesting that humans may have been buried or left in open burial niches outside, to be eaten by animals. This was a common burial practice in many ancient societies.

Construction of Göbekli Tepe is divided into two phases. The older structures belong to the PrePottery Neolithic A period, and were probably constructed between 12,000-9,000 years ago. These structures are more elaborate, and include most of the T-stones and the animal carvings. The second phase was about 9,0008,000 years ago, during a period known as the Pre-Pottery Neolithic B. Construction from this period generally appears to be less elaborate.

Around 8000-7500 BC, Göbekli Tepe was deliberately covered with about 300-500 cubic meters of soil, and abandoned. The reason for the abandonment is not known, but Klaus Schmidt has speculated that the culture

outgrew the need for the site.

No other site of comparable antiquity or sophistication has been found so far. A similar site was discovered at Nevali Çori, a few miles away, near Sanilurfa. Nevali Çori is about 500 years younger than Göbekli Tepe, and much smaller and more primitive in terms of construction than Göbekli Tepe. T-shaped pillars similar to those at Göbekli Tepe were found, as well as carvings and statues of animals and humans. Several hundred clay figurines (about 2 inches in size), mostly of humans, were also found. These are made of fired clay, but predate the development of pottery, indicating that people knew about fire hardening of clay before they started shaping it into pottery.

Human remains in the form of skulls and incomplete skeletons were also found. It appears that unlike Göbekli Tepe, the site at Nevali Çori was used for human habitation.

Nevali Çori is now inaccessible, having been buried under the waters of the Atatürk Dam. While the oldest parts of Jericho may be as old as Göbekli Tepe, it has no large scale sculpture or carvings, and is much more primitive.

Another critter of some sort.

Ein Mallaha in Israel). Other sites in the region show that within 1,000 years of building Göbekli, people in the area had started to corral sheep, cattle and pigs.

The oldest full-size human statue was found in Balikli Gol near Sanilurfa. - a figure of a man carved from limestone, with obsidian eyes, also about 12,000 years old. Note that this is not the oldest representation of humans. Figurines that are much older have been found, such as the famous “Venus of Willendorf” which Agriculture originated in the hills around is about 25,000 years old, or the “Lion Man” found in the Hohle Fels cave near Göbekli Tepe around 10,000 years ago, Ulm in Germany, which may be up to not long before the time Göbekli Tepe was covered with earth and abandoned. 30,000 years old. But these were only a few inches in size, suitable for nomadic Einkorn wheat, a precursor of modern people to carry around with them. Fullwheat grows wild in this region. DNA analysis of modern wheat shows that it’s sized statues were not meant to be carried around; they were likely placed in closest to a variety of wild wheat that permanent structures. is currently found in Karadağ, about 20 It may be that agriculture spelled the miles from Göbekli Tepe. Several lines end for Göbekli Tepe. Early agriculture of archeological evidence indicate that was primitive and not very productive. this region was where agriculture and the domestication of farm animals first People may have not recognized the need to rotate crops, fertilize fields, and began (dogs had been domesticated prevent the erosion of topsoil. It’s been earlier, also in this region -- the oldest evidence of domestication is a Natufian speculated that early agriculture led to grave about 12,000 years old in which an deforestation of this region, with the loss of game animals. The fields may old man was buried with a puppy, near have turned fallow eventually, and with

MEETURKEY Alternative Tourism & Incentive Magazine

the lack of proper management the whole area turned into a dustbowl. With no game animals left, there was no way to support a large population, and the site may have been abandoned for this reason. At any rate, Göbekli Tepe was deliberately abandoned about 8,000 7,500 BC, soon after the development of agriculture in the region. The entire site was deliberately covered with earth before it was abandoned, which is why it is so well preserved today.

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Oldest full-sized human statue, currently at the museum at Sanilurfa. It was found at Balikli Gol, a fishpond near Sanilurfa, and is about 12,000 - 11,000 years old.

Göbekli Tepe may play a part in some early myths. Sumerian tradition holds that the knowledge of agriculture, animal husbandry and weaving were brought to mankind from the holy mound “Du-Ku”, which was inhabited by the Anunna gods. These are very ancient gods, many without individual names.

Some which have been identified are Ashnan (cereal grain god), Lahar (cattle god), Ishkur (wind god), Uttu (goddess of weaving), Enkimdu and Enbilulu (gods of the rivers and canals). Klaus Schmidt argues that Göbekli Tepe may be the origin of these myths. It was obviously a religious or ceremonial site. The many carvings and statues may well represent mythic figures. It is hard to associate any extensive or well developed belief in gods with Göbekli Tepe - this appears much later in Sumerian culture with the evidence from temples, palaces and shrines. But it is possible that the

Sumerians remembered Göbekli and the areas around it as the source of their knowledge and paid homage to the ancient gods. If so, this is pretty amazing, since the earliest Sumerian culture from the Ubaid or Eridu period dates to at least 3,000 years after Göbekli Tepe was abandoned. No doubt much of this area was continuously inhabited, as shown by various archeological sites in the region and the layers of walls in Jericho, but to hold an idea across a span of 3,000 years in the absence of writing is still remarkable.

Various Biblical scholars have also associated Göbekli Tepe with the myth of Eden. According to this interpretation, the myth refers to the transition from a hunter/gatherer society to one based on agriculture. The thinking is that the hunting/gathering lifestyle was easy and pleasant, at least in areas that were rich in resources. Agriculture, by

contrast, involved a lot of work and was probably not very productive to begin with. The loss of Eden was the transition to agriculture, and may be a memory of what happened at Göbekli Tepe. God says to Adam: «Cursed is the ground because of you; in toil you shall eat of it all the days of your life.»

The location of Göbekli Tepe in the fertile crescent matches some people›s ideas of where Eden should be located according to the description in the Bible. There is a lot of speculation in this regard, and literally hundreds of web sites with all sorts of kooky theories about how this was either literally the Garden of Eden, or else some sort of folk memory of this place trickled down through 6000 years of pre-history, and led to the myths about Eden, or an Eden-like place in the Sumerian culture, which was later appropriated by the writers of the Old Testament.

The interior of one of the huts, with walls intact.

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Photos:Halil Tuncer

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Health & Wealth

Hagia Sophia Hurrem Sultan Hamamı

H

istory of bath goes back to Romans.

Excavations made in Pompeii that stayed under ashes when Vesuvius Volcano exploded, revealed baths used by Romans.

It is understood that those baths are not only used for cleanness but also for pleasure and entertainment. As there were class distinctions between Romans, entrance doors of nobles and slaves and places they bathed were separated. There were also steam bath places, cold and warm water pools in Roman baths.

Ottomans conquered Istanbul physically but Byzantine, who reflected rich cultural influence inherited from Romans, conquered Ottomans with their baths like many other things. In the most magnificent period of empire, there was always one bath only for women at certain days of the week with hot and cold baths, fountains, marble rooms with dome in each district of the city.

Religion was the main reason of significance of baths in Ottoman culture. According to Koran, being clean was not just an important part of religion; it was essential. These marble temples helped creation of a social

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life consisting of bathing, massage and conversations. Friendships and finding chance of marriages were also important factors as much as health and religion.

Because these were the only places where Ottoman women, living behind closed doors, could become socialized. Even rich women used to visit baths in district at least once a week, although they had special house baths.

They used to go to baths in company of servants, together with towel, brush, henna, eye liner, a Cretan soup and pattens with mother-of-pearls. This ceremonial preparation arose from spending nearly the whole day in bath, instead of few hours.

Turkish bath tradition, representative of cleanness, healing, entertainment and social sharing for thousand years, has been reinterpreted at Hagia Sophia Hurrem Sultan Bath according to today’s understanding.

This historical bath, which served sultans, is offering purifying power of water in a unique atmosphere covering both past and today for its visitors.

“I hope, friends with sincere heart reviewing my creations until the end of time and

MEETURKEY Alternative Tourism & Incentive Magazine

doomsday, when they learn about the working spirit and seriousness of my efforts, be fair and remember me with their blessed prayers.”

Mimar Sinan Turkish bath between Hagia Sophia Museum and Blue Mosque in Istanbul was built by Mimar Sinan by order of Hurrem Sultan, wife of Suleyman the Magnificent, near Hagia Sophia in 16. century (1556 – 1557), at the location of historical Zeuksippos Baths that was destroyed in 532 year completely.

Istanbul, was repaired between 1957 – 1958 years and used as publicly owned carpet sales store until 2008.

Building is in shape of classical period Ottoman baths and is a kind of double bath with 75m length. Women and men sections were built on the same axis in this bath for the first time, which was a new thing in Turkish Bath architecture.

Hagia Sophia Hurrem Sultan Bath which was commissioned in 2008 with build-operatetransfer model was restored according to original features by a huge investment. Hagia Sophia Hurrem Sultan Bath that preserved its unique structure for 450 years opened a

new era in Turkish Bath architecture and has the title of being the first structure where women and men sections are on the same axis. Suleyman the Magnificent had Mimar Sinan build the Turkish Bath in 1556 year. Bath is showing differences from classical period Ottoman bath architecture with its double bath shape and 75m. length. In Turkish bath where men coldness, warmness, hotness sections and women hotness, warmness and coldness sections follow each other; all domes are covered with lead. Restoration project of Hagia Sophia Hurrem Sultan Bath was carried out by Kocaeli University Faculty of Architecture, which is expert in historical building restoration. No element of original bath architecture was sacrificed during the restoration process carried out with efforts of interdisciplinary teams consisting of academicians and professionals of their own fields, that lasted for months. Materials and technological systems that were used for the first time in Turkey were utilized for the works.

Hagia Sophia Hurrem Sultan Bath according to numbers Turkish Bath was built in 1556 year by Mimar Sinan.

Turkish bath was being actively used until 1910 year.

Restoration began in 2008 year.

1300 sqm. of Marmara Marble was used for restoration.

Only bath with 2 domes on the same line.

Coldness section dome height is 26 meters.

Navel stone temperature 42 degrees, private room temperature 48 degrees.

Steam rate of private rooms is %100.

160 pieces of gold coated bath bowls were made for use of guests.

Silk %50 & cotton %50 mixture special loincloths were produced in Odemis for guests.

130 employees are offering services in total within body of Turkish bath and banquet areas.

Our soaps are made of 100% olive oil and specially produced in Edremit.

Hurrem Sultan or Hurrem Haseki Sultan (birth 1506 - death 1558) was born within borders of Kingdom of Poland. She was kidnapped in 1520 from Rohatyn by Tatar raiders when she was 14 years old, taken under protection of Crimean Khan and then presented to Ottoman palace. She is the wife of 1. Suleyman (Suleyman the Magnificent) and mother of next ruler II. Selim. She had the privilege of

being the first woman to officially marry an Ottoman padishah. Hurrem Sultan gave birth to one girl and four boys of Suleyman the Magnificent. Her daughter was Mihrimah and boys were Mehmet, Selim, Bayezid and Cihangir princes.

She had her daughter Mihrimah Sultan marry with Grand Vizier Rustem Pasha. Her biggest son prince Mehmet died before inheriting the

throne. Prince Cihangir Sultan died of heart attack as the result of his sadness for death of Prince Mustafa Sultan by strangling. Prince Bayezid took refuge in Iran after his rebellion to Suleyman Magnificent and was taken in prison by Iran’s Shah. Then he was killed in dungeons. At that time, there was only 2.

Selim among the princes... Hurrem Sultan’s second son Selim ascended the throne.

For more information www.ayasofyahamami.com

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May’2012

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Fame & Game

I

M o s t N a tu r a l, F u n n y a n d A m a z in g fo r m

o f th e A rt

A n ta ly a S a n d S c u lp tu r e F e s tiv a l nternational Antalya Sand Sculpture Festival (Sandland) is a mega exhibition of sand sculptures that organized

by Global Design Art Works. International Antalya Sand Sculpture Festival is considered the one of the largest sand event in the world, by the size of its sculptures and the area they occupy.

Festival theme changes and exhibition is visited by thousands of people every year. Republic of Turkey Ministry of Culture and Tourism, Antalya Metropolitan Municipality, Antalya Promotion Foundation, Antalya Journalists Association and many other agencies and organizations supports

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the festival. Every year, a group of sand sculptors, from all over the the world join to give shape to 10.000 tons of sand, in an area of 7.000 square meters.

This year the theme of the festival is the Hollywood 2. The visitors have opportunity to see unforgatteble Hollywood movie stars and the film characters at the exhibition of the festival. Sandland also incorporates a playful dimension with a space for sand sculpture activities, where each day, adults, teens and children may experience and show their creative abilities in this form of artistic expression. In the nights Led

lightning system offers colourfull and magnificiant athmosphere to the exhibition area. Beside this visitors can watch the festival documentary dvd by the sinevision system during the night.

Furthermore festival area offers differend open air activities such as open air bowling plathform, mini-children’s playground, mini golf, giant chess board, ATV safaris, parasailing paramotor etc. for an unforgettable experience.

Sandland is located in Lara - Antalya between Örnekköy - Kundu Tourism Region.For more information www. larasandland.com/ing/index.html

Preparation of the land

15 April 2012 - 30 April 2012

Sculptores Performances

1 May 2012 - 20 May 2012

Official Opening Ceramony

2 June 2012

Official Closing Ceramony

29 October 2012

Sinevision Projections

Everyday from 20.30 till 23.00 (Visitors can watch the festival documentary)

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Meet at Museum

The İstanbul Museum of Modern Art

T

contemporary art from its beginnings to our day. The texts accompanying the works in the exhibition hall explain the social, cultural, economic, and political dynamics of this process. In the small room on the collection floor are brought together works by prominent representatives of contemporary art from both Turkey and different countries.

The collection floor presents, with a contemporary approach, a wide variety of works ranging from painting and sculpture to installation and video from the early 20th century to our day.

On the lower floor, two or three exhibitions are held simultaneously in the Temporary Exhibition Hall, Photography Gallery, and Pop-up areas.

In the Temporary Exhibition Hall are held conceptual shows and retrospectives presenting examples of modern and contemporary art from Turkey. This hall also hosts large-scale and international Exhibition Halls in İstanbul exhibitions that point to current transformations in the visual arts. In Modern the Photography Gallery are explored İstanbul Modern has two main exhibition reflections in photography of art halls. The museum’s permanent movements in the world and examples collection is displayed on the upper floor. of photography in Turkey from its In the large hall, the works of prominent beginnings to the present. Furthermore, artists are exhibited in chronological this gallery hosts exhibitions by order, showcasing Turkey’s modern and prominent photographers from Turkey he İstanbul Museum of Modern Art, Turkey’s first private museum to organize modern and contemporary art exhibitions, was founded in 2004 and occupies an 8,000 square meter site on the shores of the Bosphorus. İstanbul Modern embraces a global vision to collect, preserve, exhibit and document works of modern and contemporary art and make them accessible to art lovers. As part of its commitment to sharing Turkey’s artistic creativity with wide audiences and promoting its cultural identity in the international art world, İstanbul Modern hosts a broad array of interdisciplinary activities.

Apart from permanent and temporary exhibition galleries, a photography gallery, and spaces for educational and social programs, the museum offers a cinema, restaurant, design store and an extensive library.

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MEETURKEY Alternative Tourism & Incentive Magazine

and abroad. The Pop-up areas host, within their dynamic and interdisciplinary structure, exhibitions in various fields such as architecture, design, video, and new media.

Education The aim of the İstanbul Modern Education Department is to give viewers from all age groups and walks of life the opportunity to enjoy modern and contemporary art in a friendly setting. While seeking to make modern and contemporary art more understandable so as to make it accessible to everyone, the department also strives to create a public educational and collaborative platform for visitors, artists and to all actors in the art world.

Cinema In line with its goal of providing audiences with an alternative film screening platform, İstanbul Modern Cinema focuses on examples from history of world cinema and rising talents in Turkey. Its programs keep film enthusiasts informed on the latest

Photo:Murat Germen developments in the art of filmmaking, avantgarde cinema and documentary films.

Library With a growing collection of some 8000 books and 32 national and international periodical subscriptions, the Museum’s Library provides specialization in the following areas: • Turkish Art history and Turkish artists • Museum, gallery and private collection catalogs • Theoretical publications related to art • Major art movements • Photography and photographers • Museology Bibliographic information, for works in the Collection, can be accessed through the Library’s Online Catalogs. The Library is located on the ground floor and uses an “open shelf” system, allowing visitors to access the collection directly, through electronic resources for research.

These resources include CD-ROM databases

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and art-related links to internet sites.

In addition, visitors may keep up with current events and articles, relating to art, through the knowledgeable and careful selection of relevant national and international periodicals.

Store İstanbul Modern Store offers a vast collection ranging from choice art books to specially designed objects, and from personal accessories to giftware that for many years will help you remember the exhibitions you have visited. Catalogues of the exhibitions at the museum and souvenirs featuring reproductions of artworks allow visitors to share their memories of unique museum events with others. Also offered at the museum store are jewelries, stationeries and accessories by well-known designers.

May’2012

35

Meet at Museum reached by photography in present-day Turkey moving back to the Pera of the 1800s.

After Yesterday is curated by Engin Özendes who has been the director of the Photography Gallery since the day it opened and has shaped the collection’s identity. While presenting viewers the photographic story of the past and the present, the show also sheds light on how the collection developed over the years.

La La La Human Steps : A Selection from the Collection of Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen February 16 - May 6, 2012

Restaurant With its incomparable view of the Bosphorus and the old city, İstanbul Modern Restaurant’s spacious terrace, stylish decor and varied menu provides the perfect setting for an exquisite meal. Whether you choose to take a break from your museum visit with a quick snack, or prefer to admire the view over a more leisurely meal, İstanbul Modern Restaurant is there to offer an aesthetically pleasing experience, in every sense of the word.

Current Exhibitions at İstanbul Modern After Yesterday February 16 - June 3, 2012

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İstanbul Modern hosts After Yesterday, a selection of its photography collection gathered since the day the museum was founded. Featuring 179 works by 53 artists, the show will be held between February 16 - June 3, 2012 at İstanbul Modern Photography Gallery and at the museum’s lower floor. A further 66 works by 213 artists will also be on display in digital format.

Bringing together modern and contemporary examples of photography in Turkey, the exhibition displays the technical and conceptual development of photography from the Ottoman Era to the present. It shows photography’s adventure in reverse chronology, starting at the point

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Within the framework of the celebrations of 400 years of diplomatic relations between the Netherlands and Turkey, İstanbul Modern is hosting the exhibition La La La Human Steps: A Selection from the Collection of Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen. Held between February 16 - May 6 in İstanbul Modern’s Temporary Exhibition Hall, the show consists of a special selection gathered

Photo:Murat Germen

for İstanbul Modern by Sjarel Ex, Director of Boijmans Van Beuningen Museum, from the museum’s collection of over 140 thousand works. Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen was founded in 1849 and is one of the Netherlands’ most renowned museums with a worldwide reputation.

Bringing together old masters and prominent contemporary artists, the exhibition includes 53 works consisting of paintings, prints, photographs, videos and installations by 28 artists from different countries. Made possible with the partnership of Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen and the contributions of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, the exhibition’s supporting sponsor is Fibabanka, visual and audio systems sponsor is LG Electronics.

Artists: Vito Acconci, Bas Jan Ader, Yael Bartana, Sebald Beham, Erhard Schön, Niklas Stoer, John Bock, David Claerbout, Pieter Coecke van Aelst, Peter Feiler,Yang Fudong Cyprien Gaillard, Šejla Kamerić, Paul Kooiker, Inez van Lamsweerde, Erik van Lieshout, Aernout Mik, Melvin Moti, Zwelethu Mthethwa, Bruce Nauman, Joachim Patinir, Anri Sala, Cindy Sherman, Marijke van Warmerdam, Andro Wekua, Guido van

der Werve, Sylvie Zijlmans, Melvin Moti, Zwelethu Mthethwa, Bruce Nauman, Joachim Patinir, Anri Sala, Cindy Sherman, Salla Tykkä, Marijke van Warmerdam, Andro Wekua, Guido van der Werve, Sylvie Zijlmans.

Exhibition Abroad İstanbul Modern- Rotterdam March 10 - June 10, 2012 The second leg of the partnership between Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen and İstanbul Modern is the exhibition İstanbul Modern Rotterdam to be held in Rotterdam.

Istanbul’s sister city, Rotterdam has the largest port in Europe and is therefore a major meeting point. Held at Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen between March 10 - June 10, the exhibition İstanbul Modern - Rotterdam aims to bring major works by contemporary artists in Turkey to the European audience.

While describing Istanbul as a new continent at the center of contemporary art, the show points to the dynamics of transformation and change, which have taken place in contemporary art in Turkey from the 1970s to the present day.

Curated by Levent Çalıkoğlu the

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exhibition will feature works by Ramazan Bayrakoğlu, Taner Ceylan, Nezaket Ekici, Ayşe Erkmen, İnci Eviner, Nilbar Güreş, Balkan Naci İslimyeli, :mentalKLİNİK, İrfan Önürmen, Sarkis, Hale Tenger, Canan Tolon, Fatma Tülin, and Nil Yalter.

Upcoming Exhibition Fifty Years of Urban Walls – A Burhan Doğançay Retrospective May 23 – September 23, 2012 İstanbul Modern hosts Fifty Years of Urban Walls – A Burhan Doğançay Retrospective between 23 May - 23 September 2012. Since the early 1960s, Burhan Doğançay examines the social, cultural and political transformation of modern and contemporary urban culture through the use of walls, and the exhibition features 126 works that hold light to the complex and protean alternative history of urban

life. Curated by İstanbul Modern’s Chief Curator Levent Çalıkoğlu, Fifty Years of Urban Walls stand as an anthology for Doğançay’s last 50 years of work. The exhibition gathers together 14 distinct series and periods of the artist with works coming from different collections all over the world. The accompanying book presents explanatory texts which highlight the development of Doğançay’s artistic career. Brand new essays by Brandon Taylor, Professor Ermeritus of History of Art at Southampton University, and Richard Vine, Senior Editor at Art in America, as well as explanatory texts on each series by the writer, editor and graphic designer Clive Giboire, and Levent Çalıkoğlu’s essay entitled The Recording of History and the Anatomy of Walls map out the artist’s body of work spanning over 50 years.

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37

News Line World

IMEX in Frankfurt Celebrates 10th Anniversary Year After nine years of yearon-year increases in the number of association meeting planners attending the IMEX Association Day, the IMEX team, its association partners and advisors have completely revamped the day’s education programme for 2012.

The result is that the 2012 Association Day, which takes place in the show’s 10th anniversary year, now offers double the number of educations sessions arranged in specialist tracks; plus contributions from 25 speakers, including CEOs and Executive Directors from some of Europe and America’s largest associations including the European Cancer Organisation (ECCO), the International Association of Public Transport and the Optical Society.

IMEX Association Day targets and typically attracts around 300 association executives from over 30 countries, 85% of whom are full-time senior association professionals with many at Executive Director or Secretary General level. Most of the buyers attend as part of the show’s hosted buyer programme, which means they also attend the trade show and meet exhbitors over the three days that follow.

As Carina Bauer, CEO of the IMEX Group, explains: “Our feedback shows that association executives want to be stretched and to step back from their day-to-day tasks to explore some big picture topics and long-term business challenges. Alongside new content with a harder strategic focus, we have introduced some highly specialised topics such as “Managing Your Room Blocks”. This ensures that there is excellent choice in the programme – ranging from niche topics to broader strategic topics such as “Generating New Revenues” or highly topical sessions like “Online Learning and Sustainability.”

The IMEX Association Day will be hosted by the Congress Center, Messe Frankfurt on Monday 21st May. The programme kicks off with a networking lunch followed by a choice of two seminars in each of the three new tracks. These will include a ‘Deep Dive’ led by ASAE: The Center for Association Leadership on “Managing Through Change” (executive track). Moderated

by Brian Riggs, Vice President of Association Headquarters, Inc., it will also feature Robin Lokerman, CEO Institutional Division, MCI Group; Peter O’Neil, CAE, Executive Director, American Industrial Hygiene Association; Robert Waller, CAE, President, Association Headquarters, Inc and Patrizia Lucca, AIM International.

ASEAN Tourism Forum (ATF) 2013 TRAVEX Goes to Vientiane, Lao PDR Laos, the host country of ATF TRAVEX 2013, has captured the industry’s attention. Delegates around the world are excited by destination Laos and are keen to see Vientiane gearing up for the task at hand. Laos will host the 32nd instalment of ATF in Vientiane, the capital of Lao PDR, from 17 to 24 January. ATF TRAVEX will take place from 22 to 24 January at the Lao International Trade Exhibition and Convention Centre (Lao ITECC), one of the most prestigious shopping and recreational centres in Vientiane. Situated on the Mekong River, Vientiane is the economic centre of Laos. It is celebrated for its ecotourism, Buddhist culture and food. This is the second time that Vientiane will be hosting the event.

ATF TRAVEX 2013, the 3-day travel trade mart component of the ASEAN Tourism Forum is a showcase for the largest contingent of ASEAN destination products and services.

TRAVEX has recorded strong interest and rapid take up rate early in its registration process. With eight months to go, the event has reported sales of more than 140 booths till date.

Buyer registrations have hit a record high of 310 registrations,

a whopping 40% more as compared to the same time last year.

Some 70 leading international media have also registered early.

This early interest is attributed to the ATF TRAVEX’ continued success in delivering quality business leads and industry information. ATF combines business appointments, an education component and numerous social functions. Held in a sprawling exhibition hall, the business appointments will encompass the majority of delegates’ schedules over the three days. ASEAN Tourism Forum (ATF) is a cooperative regional effort to promote the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) region as one tourist destination. ATF TRAVEX is the longest-running annual ASEAN leisure travel trade event, showcasing the largest contingent of ASEAN sellers. This annual event involves all the tourism industry sectors of the 10 ASEAN member nations: Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. Each year the hosting of ATF is rotated among the member countries. Lao PDR will host ATF 2013 and is all geared up to welcome over 1,500 delegates which includes more than 400 international buyers and 100 international media. ATF 2013 marks the 32nd anniversary of this event since its inauguration in Malaysia in 1981.

20th IT&CMA and 15th CTW in 2012 IT&CMA brings together MICE suppliers and buyers in a 3-day exhibition showcase coupled with intensive business appointments. Exhibition features include destinations, products, services and solutions relating to meetings, incentives, conventions and events. CTW Asia-Pacific is IT&CMA and CTW 2012 will be held from 2nd to 4th a conference and exhibition on Travel & Entertainment October 2012 at Bangkok. 2012 is a landmark year of the (T&E) management for the Asia-Pacific region. Influencers, 20th IT&CMA and 15th CTW Asia-Pacific. IT&CMA and planners and decision-makers of Corporate Travel functions CTW Asia-Pacific is The World’s Only Doublebill Event in in their organisation attend the annual conference to keep MICE and Corporate Travel. This year forward, the event themselves abreast of the latest trends and knowledge that will incorporate Luxury Travel in its ambit. IT&CMA isthe enable them to get the most out of their T&E decisions. This Asia-Pacific region’s leading international MICE show, 2012 will see the 20th and 15thinstalment of IT&CMA and offering the largest collection of Asia-Pacific MICE suppliers. CTW respectively.

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MEETURKEY Alternative Tourism & Incentive Magazine

Incorporating Luxury Travel

IT&CM India

Incentive Travel & Conventions, Meetings India 21 - 23 August 2012 India Expo Centre & Mart, Delhi NCR, India

Unique MICE Business Platform The Latest IT&CM MICE Event In India That Promotes Inbound, Outbound and Domestic Business Opportunities Featuring An Equal Mix of International and Indian Exhibitor, Buyers and Media The First In The IT&CM Series To Incorporate Luxury Travel Embodies All The Proven IT&CM Programme Formats and Event Management Prowess Enhanced Programme Components With India Convention Promotion Bureau (ICPB)’s Conventions India Conclave (CIC)

Registration Now Open!

Exhibitors | Buyers | Media

www.itcmindia.com Organised By

Endorsing Association

News Line World

IT&CM India will be held on 21 to 23 August 2012 in Delhi NCR TTG Asia Media – event organisers of IT&CMA and CTW (The World’s Only Doublebill Event in MICE and Corporate Travel) and IT&CM China – has introduced an IT&CM event to the Indian market. Named IT&CM India, this 3rd event in the IT&CM series will be held on 21 to 23 August 2012 in Delhi NCR. IT&CM India is an international MICE business, education and networking event that advances opportunities of “Promoting India to the World and the World to India”. It is the first in the IT&CM series of events that also offers international and leading India exhibitors and buyers in the industry a dedicated avenue to showcase and procure luxury travel. In addition to the proven IT&CM programme formula

comprising of structured business appointments, exhibition showcase, seminar sessions, official networking functions and tours, delegates to the 3-day event will also receive access to India Convention Promotion Bureau (ICPB)’s Conventions India Conclave (CIC) and other partnering events that promise to enhance their investment at IT&CM India.

PATA Travel Mart September 25 - 28, 2012 logo Manila hosted the very first PATA Travel Mart back in 1978, where over 300 delegates assembled to experience Asia Pacific’s first industry trade event. On September 25-28, 2012, PATA Travel Mart returns to Manila. It will be held at the SMX Convention Center, the largest private venue in the Philippines and one of the flagship establishments of the country’s MICE industry. For more information: www.pata.org/events

EIBTM Celebrates 25 Years with New Logo EIBTM, the Global Meetings, Events, Incentives and Business Travel Exhibition, has unveiled a new logo to celebrate 25 years

within the meetings industry.

EIBTM first opened in 1988 and has been committed to delivering vital business opportunities for meeting industry professionals across the world. The 25th edition will take place in Fira Gran Via, Barcelona (27 – 29th November).

The logo can be viewed and downloaded from the EIBTM website at www.eibtm.com/logo25. The new design which reflects the official “silver” associated with a 25th

anniversary, marks the first of many new initiatives throughout the year, which will culminate with celebrations in Barcelona.

Katie Devaney, Reed Travel Exhibitions, Marketing Manager EIBTM comments, “EIBTM is recognised as the leading event of its kind in the world and the global hub for the meetings industry. We could not let this landmark pass without using it to celebrate the past, as well as look to the future.

This logo is a modern reflection of the anniversary and part of the inspiration behind many new dynamic initiatives, all part of the innovations that EIBTM plans to deliver for the industry over the next 25 years. This year will deliver business as usual but with lots of fun thrown in!”.

Portugal to Host International Golf Travel Market 2012 IGTM organizers; Reed Travel Exhibitions announced The Algarve region of Portugal is to host the 15th edition of the world’s premier global event for golf tourism suppliers, buyers and media, from November 12-15, 2012. ntónio Pina, President of the Algarve Tourism Board, said: “It is with considerable pride that Portugal, and more specifically The Algarve, will once again host the prestigious International Golf Travel Market.

“With exceptional facilities and an enviable year-round climate, IGTM 2012 provides The Algarve with a significant opportunity to promote the region as a first-class golf destination,” he added.

The Algarve has been a magnet for golfers for over 30 years and boasts spectacular scenery, beautiful coastline, and is home to a selection of the world’s finest golf resorts and luxury hotels, all supported by a wealth of leisure facilities, high-class restaurants and vibrant bars.

Purpose-built for tourism in the 1970s, The Algarve has developed into a cosmopolitan destination, every year attracting nearly six million visitors who come to play the

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region’s 35 golf courses designed by some of the game’s greats, including Sir Henry Cotton, Arnold Palmer, Sir Nick Faldo and the late Seve Ballesteros.

António Pina added: “We look forward to welcoming global golf tourism suppliers, buyers, official dignitaries and media to The Algarve. Beautiful cuisine, fine wines and a warm welcome from the locals will ensure a memorable stay for everyone.

“IGTM 2012 will provide an unrivalled opportunity for The Algarve to make a name for itself as a prime venue for major international events.”

PeterGrimster, Exhibition Manager of IGTM, said: “Portugal has been at the heart of the golf travel business for three decades and it has established itself as one of Europe’s finest destinations.

“The quality of golf courses and resorts in Vilamoura is outstanding, and combined with an excellent conference facility at The Tivoli Marina Hotel, we have all the necessary logistics to stage a truly fantastic event. We look forward to welcoming everyone to IGTM 2012.”

IGTM will take place November 12-15, 2012, the week after the World Travel Market, London, also a Reed Travel Exhibitions event.

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The 20th IT&CMA and 15th CTW Asia-Pacific 2 - 4 October 2012 Incor

ing

porat

ry u x u L l Trave

Bangkok Convention Centre at CentralWorld Bangkok, Thailand Delegate Categories • MICE & Corporate Travel Exhibitors • MICE Buyers • Corporate Travel Managers • Conference Delegates • Industry Media

www.itcma.com www.corporatetravelworld.com

Organised By

Supported By

Host Country

Official Airline

Official Venue

Meet at Weddings

Luxury Weddings in Moscow The Ritz-Carlton is acclaimed worldwide for creative luxury weddings, and this is especially the case at The RitzCarlton, Moscow, where weddings are of a scale and style fit for Hollywood celebrities and European aristocrats. At The Ritz-Carlton, Moscow, every wedding detail is a priority, and perfection and impeccability can be seen in the smallest of things.

Wedding parties can stroll in the city center and pay a traditional visit to Red Square, located within a five-minute walk from the hotel.

Although a central location can often impose parking challenges, The Ritz-Carlton, Moscow offers underground parking for its guests.

Marble floors in the lobby, a grand marble staircase leading up to the banquet rooms, polished dark cherry in the décor, plasterwork performed by British artisans who have worked with Buckingham Palace, impressive use of gold leaf décor, Swarovski lighting – all of this creates a spirit of celebration and, from the very first second, sets the stage for an exciting, elegant experience for the couple and its guests.

The Ballroom is the largest and most beautifullyappointed room of the hotel. With ceilings up to

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five meters high, the ballroom is 650 squaremeters (7,000 square feet) in size and seats up to 350 persons. Eight crystal chandeliers with adjustable heights illuminate the room and enhance its décor with spectacular glamour and glitter.

If the number of guests does not exceed 70 persons, The Ritz-Carlton recommends holding the celebration in the Moscow room which, among other advantages, features floor-toceiling windows facing Tverskaya Street.

The spacious pre-function area is perfect for cocktail receptions and features a Steinway grand piano and the ability to set up a cigar zone or bar.

Contemporary and classic flower arrangements, silk ribbons, candles, modern lighting equipment and broadband screens displaying photo and video materials are among the tools that can transform each wedding space into a magical setting.

The Ritz-Carlton, Moscow’s technical team can create a variety of entertainment settings for weddings, including stages, specialty light and music equipment, and a 100-square-meter (1,100 square feet) dance floor.

The magical ending to any wedding celebration is when the newly-married couple and wedding guests check into their comfortable, opulent guest rooms, enjoy a healthy sleep and restore their energy. Guests can also visit the spa, saunas, steam rooms and the swimming pool,

MEETURKEY Alternative Tourism & Incentive Magazine

illuminated by sparkling Swarovski lights. The hotel offers special room rates for guests of the wedding.

At The Ritz-Carlton, Moscow, the bride and groom should thoroughly enjoy their wedding day rather than worry about organizational details.

On the big day, the hotel’s beauty experts will come directly to the couple’s guest room to prepare them for the celebration, while the hotel wedding specialist and professional wedding team will coordinate the entire day or evening from start to finish.

An opulent marble staircase, a bar on the roof with views of the Kremlin, elegant granite arches at the porte cochere, a majestic ballroom adorned in gold – all of this is the dream of the professional photographer who will create a special wedding photo album.

About the hotel The Ritz-Carlton, Moscow is located just off Red Square, next to the Kremlin, in the heart of the cultural and business center of Russia’s capital.

The hotel enjoys the largest guest rooms and suites in the city all fully equipped with cuttingedge technological amenities. The O2 Lounge on the 12th floor offers magnificent views of the Kremlin and Red Square, and the full-service spa by ESPA are among the hotel’s premium amenities.

MICE Destinations

ANKARA

A

nkara the capital of Turkey is located in the centre of Anatolia prov nce th a kno n history of around 3000, Ankara has seen great heights in the past. Around 3000 years ago, the tt tes 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, Macedon ans under Alexander the Great),

and Romans. Seljuk Turks captured the city in 1071 AD and renamed t as ngur ye Most important moment in the history of Ankara came when Atatürk ounded h s prov s onal government here n 1920, and in 1923 when it became the capital of Turkish Republic.

The city has seen a number of changes s nce then, ho ever t has been successful enough in maintaining a fine balance between the old and the new and thereby l v ng up to ts un ue dent ty

as the Melt ng Pot o ast and est 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.

Convention & Exhibition Centers of Ankara Name

Number of Halls

Total sqm

Largest Hall Capacity (Theatre)

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

Ankara Hilton Hotel

8

-

600

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.

What to see • The Ankara tadel • ad ayram Mos ue • The Museum o Anaton an v l sat on • The att Monument • An tkab r • ctory Monument • The Temple o Augusts • Monument o the epubl c • The oman ath • en Mos ue • The olumn o ul an • ocatepe Mos ue

Ankara Plaza Hotel

6

-

500

Buyuk Anadolu Hotel

13

1.800

2.000

B.Surmeli Hotel

7

1.900

900

BW.Hotel 2000

3

-

700

Crowne Plaza Ankara

12

-

750

Hotel Bilkent Ankara

7

1.650

760

Hotel Dedeman

6

-

500

Rixos Grand Ankara

14

-

1.000

Sheraton Ankara

7

1.650

700

Swissotel Ankara

9

-

1.200

MICE Destinations

ANTALYA

I

n the p ctures ue old uarter o ale c , narro , nd ng streets and old wooden houses abut 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, s mm ng and sports act v t es l ke windsurfing, water skiing, sailing, mountain climbing and hunting. If you come to Antalya n March or Apr l, n the mornings you can ski the slopes and in the afternoons swim in the warm aters o the Med terranean mportant h stor cal s tes a a t your d scovery am d a landscape o p ne orests, ol ve and c trus groves, and palm, avocado and banana plantat ons The Tur uo se

Coast is the tourism capital of Turkey.

Its full range of accommodations, about 35 000 delegates, sunny climate, var ety o e curs ons and act v t es, and its warm hospitality make it a sought a ter venue or meet ngs and con erences The Antalya ovent on Bureau, ACB, is an independant, nonprofit making organisation. Founded in 1995 as an off-shoot of the Antalya Promot on oundat on ATA h ch has became a member of the European Federation of Conference Towns (EFCT) n More n ormat on A Culture, Exhibition and Congress Center was opened in 1996 in the onyaalt uarter The ongress hall itself is 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 centre, 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 th ts palm l ned boulevard, nternat onally accla med mar na, and old castle with traditional architecture, all set amidst a modern city, Antalya is a major tourist centre in Turkey. In addition to the wide selection of hotels, restaurants, bars, nightclubs and shops, the city also plays host to a number o sport ng events throughout the year, l ke nternat onal each olleyball, tr athlon, gol tournaments, archery, tenn s and canoe ng competitions. The Cultural Centre, which opened in 1995, hosts cultural and art events n the elds o mus c, theatre, and creat ve arts The ma n area o nterest n the c ty s central old uarter th n the oman alls, kno n as ale c , and there are many good museums What to see • Truncated and uted m narets • Archaeolog cal Museum • adr an s ate ld arbour • Perge, de, Aspendos • den and ursunlu ater alls • Antalya astle

onvention Name

hibition enters o Antalya Nmbr Total of m alls

Nmbr Total of m alls

argest all Name Capacity Theater

argest all Capacity Theater

Adora otel

12

1000

1100

M raje Park otel

11

930

1500

Antalya Culture Center

2

1100

817

Porto Bello

8

1150

1000

Cornelia Delux

-

1000m2

Rixos Sungate

16

-

2800

Cornelia Diamond

-

1475m2

-

-

1925m2

2200

Rixos Downtown

edeman otel

12

480m2

700

Mardan Palace

van Talya

13

-

1000

emer esort otel

10

-

1000

rystal otels

-

lence each otel

11

1100m2

1100

15

-

750 1350

9

-

reml n Palace

4

-

1050

A A Antedon otel

2

-

1074

o

Limak Atlantis

-

-

1000

ueen l abeth

10

-

1500

Rixos Lares

13

1041m2

1350

Amara olce ta

6

-

1382

M racle esort otel

10

1200m2

1100

13

-

1135

M rada del mar

-

-

800

anadu esort otel Ma

oyal

11

1956m2 1914

MICE Destinations

ISTANBUL

T

he former capital of three success ve emp res oman, y ant ne and ttoman the c ty is a fascinating mixture of past and present, old and new, modern and traditional.

The museums, churches, palaces, mos ues and ba aars, and the s ghts of natural beauty seem inexhaustible.

As you recline on the shores of the Bosphorus at sunset contemplating the red even ng l ght re ected n 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 add t on to ts un ue h stor cal and cultural background and innumerable

attract ons, modern hotels, e clus ve restaurants, nightclubs, cabarets, bazaars and shops make Istanbul a superb site for meetings, conferences and convent ons stanbul s ast becoming one of the most popular international congress and exhibition destinations. The opening of the Lütfi rdar stanbul nternat onal on erence Center (I ICC) doubled the capacity of congress facilities in Istanbul. The I ICC is ideally located in the modern district o arb ye, at the center o the c ty s business, cultural and commercial life, surrounded by some of Europe’s top ual ty hotels stanbul onvent on s tors ureau has all the contacts and information for your meet ngs n stanbul More n ormat on

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 ghts, th most mportant dest nat ons n urope, M ddle ast, ana orth Amer ca th es des, vast net orks o ghts y bet een stanbul and var ous other c t es o Turkey Ataturk nternat onal A rport s km rom c ty centre el copter serv ce s also ava lable bet een the c t es What to do h le n stanbul there s so much to do and look or ard to The museums, castles, palaces, great mos ues, ba aars and s ghts o natural beauty seem ne haust ble Being a cultural and historical centre, exploring the grand heritage of the city should be the top most priority. Shopping which can be a pleasure in the markets of stanbul should orm another mportant part o your t nerary More than anyth ng 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 • olmabah e Palace • ksu Pav ll on • t rene • lue Mos ue • Topkap Palace • Mosa c Museum • overed a aar • t oph a • ar ye Museum • eylerbey Palace • erebatan stern • M n aturk

onvention

hibition enters o stanbul Number o alls

Name

Total s m

argest all apacity (Theatre)

Abdi pek i port enter

1

-

10.500

Adile Sultan Palace

15

5.625

500

Feshane Fair Center

3

5.500

rand evahir otel

22

-

2.750

al

20

86.000

3008

9

2.824

1.500

21

3.000

4.980

5

2.462

1.000

1

-

4.000

3

16.000

1.000

2

52.000

7

-

ongress enter

stanbul lton

h n

ut i rdar M l tary Museum ulture n pen A r Theater T AP a r

ongress all

orld Trade enter onvent on enter

4.000

MICE Destinations

IZMIR

I

zmir, historically Smyrna, is the third most populous city of Turkey and the country’s largest port after Istanbul.

It is located in the Gulf of Izmir, by the Aegean Sea. It is the capital of m r Prov nce m r s the nher tor of almost 3,500 years of urban past, and possibly up to that much more in terms o advanced human settlement patterns. It is Turkey’s first port for exports and its free zone, a Turkish-U.S. jo nt venture establ shed n , s the leader among the twenty that Turkey counts. Its workforce, and particularly its rising class of young professionals, concentrated either in the city or in its mmed ate v c n ty such as n Man sa , and under either larger companies

or M s, a rm the r name n an increasingly wider global scale and intensity. Izmir is widely regarded as one of the most liberal Turkish cities n terms o values, deology, l estyle, dynamism and gender roles.

The m r onvent on s tors ureau mr as ounded n by Izmir Tourism Promotion Foundation TA , as a non pro table, independent of any marketing structure information exchange bureau. Izmir s m ss on s to promote the c ty s rich cultural and natural assets and it’s great potential on a national and nternat onal level and s seek ng gu del nes and best pract ce to develop the city’s congress tourism.

City At a Glance

onvention

Population: 3,627,098 Traffic Code: 35 Telephone Code: 0232 How to go Adnan Menderes A rport, km south o the c ty centre, has several da ly ghts to Istanbul, Ankara and Antalya. There are also regular flights from many European cities.

What to do h le n m r see the s ghts, the Arkeoloj M es Archaeolog cal Museum , near onak uare, houses a superb collect on o ant ues nclud ng the statues o Poseidon, and Demeter which, in ancient times, stood in the agora. Neighboring the Archaeolog cal Museum, the collect on o the tnogra ya M es tnograph cal Museum conta ns olklor c art acts among h ch are ne collect ons o ergama and Gördes carpets, traditional costumers and camel bridles. Situated on Atatürk Caddesi s an old m r house used by the ounder o the Turk sh epubl c, the Atat rk M es Atat rk Museum e h b ts photographs o the leader as ell as some o h s personnel e ects The elcuk asar M es elcuk asar Art Museum s a pr vate museum on umhur yet ulvar th a collect on o th century Turk sh art And ander n the bazaar, sip drinks and dine at the pleasant waterfront restaurants.

What to see • Agora • lock To er • ad ekale • phesus elcuk • e erh sar

rg n Mary

• Pergamum • emeralt • Asansor • Alacat • esme

ergama M let

yd ma

hibition enters o

Name Aegean niversity all

mir Number o alls

Total s m

argest all apacity (Theatre)

6

-

1.000

Altinyunus oliday esort

9

-

650

Adnan aygun ulture Art en

6

29.500

1.225

Ataturk Culture Center

7

-

800

ilton mir Izfas abanci ulture Palace aya mir onvention entre Sheraton Cesme issotel mir Tepekule ongress

en

16

-

700

5

-

1.000

6

6.000

538

26

5.500

1.500

22

-

-

22

7.299

1.550

14

-

1.100

DM companies

INTRA TOURS Incoming services in Turkey since 1980 Company Overview Intra Tours-DMC is a market leader in incoming tourism to Turkey from Italy, Spain, Portugal, and Greece and is also very active in the USA, UK and South American markets. Its brand, INAIR Aviation provides important air transport services to both the incoming and outgoing sectors. As well as operating incoming services throughout Turkey, Intra Tours-DMC, through her dedicated M.I.C.E department, also organizes congresses, symposia, seminars, meetings, motivational programs, international exhibitions and incentive programs for international and domestic markets.

Ertugrul Arturo Karaoglu President&Ceo

Services Intra Tours - DMC have also received many awards for the quality of our excellent services. Intra was honored award with SKALITE ‘09 “Quality in Tourism” and SKALITE ‘10 “Quality in Tourism” second year in a row, under the category of incoming sector and also Tour Expi ‘10 awarded us as the “Best Incoming Agent”.

As a whole, Intra Tourism has been an important brand in Turkish tourism since 1980 and welcomes yearly 50.000 tourists from various international markets.

M.I.C.E Meetings Incentives Congresses Events Luxury Travel Platinum Service F.I.T. Services Private arrangements for individuals and small parties Tailor Made Holidays Hotels & Resorts Seaside Operations Hotel Contracts and Handling Groups, Special Interest, Cultural and Study Tours Blue Cruise Yacht Charter & Cabin Rental Guaranteed Departure Tours on Seat in Coach basis English Italian Spanish Portugese French Online Booking Faciliy -B2B Hotels Transfers Excursions Aviation & Brokerage Full or seat basis spot or chain charter operations

Affiliations

Headquarters, Istanbul

Intra is a member of the following organizations:

Ergenekon Cad.62/603 Bomonti Sisli 34380 Istanbul TURKEY Phone: (90-212) 234 12 00 , 44INTRA - Fax : (90-212) 241 08 85 e-mail: mail@intraturkey.com - www.intraturkey.com Branch Offices : Antalya, Kuşadası, Bodrum

ASTA - SKAL - SITE - TURSAB

ORION TOUR

ERSAN ATSÜR President

Company Overview

Services

ORION TOUR was established in 1969 in order to meet the fast growing demand for FIT and GIT land tours throughout Turkey. Since then, the company has become one of the top leading tour operators in the country with energetic and well-experienced staff, necessary to run an efficient and smooth operation. Through Orion’s computerized systems and worldwide connections, you are assured of reliable and professional services.

ORION TOUR DMC has successfully arranged many meetings and symposiums and is, therefore, armed with a lot of knowledge and experience. ORION TOUR successfully organized the International Symposium on St. Nicholas (Santa Claus, Father Christmas) for years. This International Symposium was solely organized and managed by us and scholars from various European countries, U.S.A and Canada participated in this International Symposium for over a decade. Only few years ago, the annual meeting of the World Council of

Wear TV – 125 pax Lux – 120 pax Citibank – 135 pax Nutrimetrics - 700 pax Shaklee - 1200 pax Shell - 850 pax Hoechst - 350 pax Ciba-Geigy - 250 pax Panasonic - 350 pax Eagle-Star - 225 pax Hoover - 195 pax Bridgestone - 450 pax NATO-Conference on Education and Training on Operational Research - 1300 pax AIA - American International Assurance Company - 225 pax Telcom South Africa - 150 pax Thira Parma Phillipinnes - 325 pax Sony Singapore - 125 pax InnKeeper Australia - 175 pax

Churches in Turkey was also planned, organised and successfully managed by Orion Tour.

Furthermore, annual meetings and congresses for Wear TV, Lux, Citibank, Nutrimetrics, Shaklee, Shell, Hoechst, Ciba-Geigy, Panasonic, Eagle-Star, Hoover, Bridgestone, NATO-Conference on Education and Training on Operational Research, AIA - American International Assurance Company, Telcom South Africa, Thira Parma Phillipinnes, Sony Singapore and InnKeeper Australia were all carried out by our company.

ORION TOUR has and offers a whole range of well-experienced and reputable guides to meet and cope with the demand and interest of and to provide the comfort and care for our guests.

Most of these professional guides are multilingual and we provide a whole range of foreign languages; from the common and well-spoken languages of English, French, German and Arabic to the relatively less frequently requested languages like Japanese and Chinese (Mandarin).

Affiliations Orion - tour is a member of the following organizations:

ASTA - JATA - PATA - SITE - TURSAB - UFTAA 48

February’2012

ORION TOUR - Tourism Organisation & Travel Agency Address: Halaskargazi Cad. No:166/3 Sisli 34360 Istanbul/TURKEY Tel: +90(212)2326300 - 2319570 Fax: +90(212)2412808 - 2414953 www.oriontour.com e-mail: orion@oriontour.com.tr

MEETURKEY Alternative Tourism & Incentive Magazine

DM companies

PAMFİLYA Tourism Inc. Company Overview

PAMFİLYA Tourism Inc. was established in 1969 on the Southern Coast of Turkey and now has its Head Office in Antalya with branch offices along the Mediterranean and Eagean coasts in Marmaris, Bodrum , Side , Alanya , Kemer , together with the main Office in intriguing Istanbul .

Being one of the oldest in tourism sector ,PAMFİLYA Tourism Inc. is a comprehensive Travel Agency

Haluk AKSOY Regional Manager Istanbul

Our Services

offering all its clients first and foremost, individual first class quality service.

PAMFİLYA Tourism Inc. furthermore is a member of some of the largest Professional organizations in the tourism sector, including ASTA, WATA, IATA, ISMP, JATA, SITE, USTAO and IAGTO . We also act as American Express Representative for the Turkish Mediterrenean region from our Antalya Head Office.

Destination Management company Incoming Tour Operations MICE industry Cultural & Special Interest tours Pilgrimage Tours Airport transfers Guide Services Travel & Shipping Agent Turnaround Operations Pre and Post tour packages Guarantee departure packages Golf packages and tournaments Welness, Spa &Thalasso IATA Passenger & Air freight Cargo Hotel Bookings & Luxury accomodation Shore excursions operations Cruise Ground Handling Tailor made excursions Luxury Yachting Tours Sports group arrangements

Affiliations

Savour the Experience

PAMFİLYA Tourism Inc. furthermore is a member of some of the largest Professional organizations

Head Office Antalya Tel : +90.242.248 07 00 Fax : +90.242.248 06 10 e-mail : antalya@pamfilya.com.tr

ASTA, WATA, IATA, ISMP, JATA, SITE, USTAO and IAGTO

Main Branch Office Istanbul Tel : +90.212.274 38 40 Fax : +90.212.274 38 44 e-mail : istanbul@pamfilya.com.tr

prontoDMC

Thomas Paternoster Director

Company Overview

prontoDMC is a strategic business unit of Prontotour Group, Turkey’s leading travel corporation established in Istanbul in 1993. Since then, Prontotour Group with its 105 professional team members has become a benchmark of success in the industry with a high market share. prontoDMC specializes both in the MICE and the Leisure segments with two distinctive departments and dedicated staff for each single activity. We offer a wide range of products and comprehensive solutions, from FIT and luxury programs, group travel, strategic solutions related to weekly charter operations,

Services

to incentive trips, client entertainment, event management and conference travel projects.

Our reputation is not only built on experience but also on flair and imagination, flexibility and innovation, exceptional standards, pride in our work, solid working partnerships with our clients and our unique ability to exceed expectations. prontoDMC is committed to being the “Supplier of Choice” through product and service excellence. Our emphasis is on being a responsible, innovative business partner providing value-added services for our customers. We always have quality in mind - the loyalty of our customers is our reward.

Incentives Meeting Planning & Special Events Conventions & Conferences Team Building Leisure Incoming Services Handling Services For Tour Operators Fit Arrangements Group Travels Cultural Tours Charter Flight Services

Memberships

Headquarters, Istanbul

prontoDMC is a member of following organizations:

Büyükdere caddesi 16/5 34360 Sisli - Istanbul / Turkey Phone: +90 212 373 91 92 – Fax: +90 212 224 41 69 e-mail: contact@prontodmc.com – www.prontodmc.com Branch Offices: Antalya, Bodrum, North Cyprus

IATA - TURSAB

MEETURKEY Alternative Tourism & Incentive Magazine

February’2012

49

DM companies

SETUR TRAVEL AGENCY Company Overview

Oktay Temeller MICE & Business Dev.Mng.

References

Setur is a part of Koç Group of Companies.

Setur carries all its activities with corporate management, customer satisfaction, social responsibility and environmental protection principles in international standards.

Setur is involved in every activity in the field of tourism and also possesses a significant portion of Duty Free Market in Turkey with its stores at airports, border gates and ports.

Besides, Setair, an aviation unit of Setur, has a fleet of 2 jet planes, 2 helicopters and one seaplane.

Furthermore, “Setur Marinas” performs the only marina chain of Turkey with its eight marinas along the Turkish coasts.Setur owns Turkey’s biggest on-line tourism portal bookinturkey.com which presents flight ticket alternatives, transfer services and online booking options to international and domestic.Setur officially registered its quality

with ISO 9000-2001 standards in 2002.

Setur M.I.C.E. department ,with its 30 years of experience in congress industry, has succeeded many important organizations including the OSCE Summit in 1999 and NATO Istanbul Summit in 2004. Setur provides a complete solution partnership and prepares all kinds of organizations such as national and international congresses, dealer and training meetings, incentive visits, ceremonies, product launches, corporate meetings. Setur M.I.C.E. designs the most appropriate solutions for your brand and provides single handed services to give the most suitable message at the right time, in the right place, and with the right content.

In every step of the way, the team acts as a part of your team and shares their extensive information, knowhow and experience with you.

LEVI’S Dealer meeting KOÇ HOLDING Executive meeting KOC HOLDING Anatolia meetings FORD Ecoboost launch TÜPRAŞ 5th year celebration event FORD 51st Annual dealers meeting BEKO Annual dealers meeting FIAT 2011 dealers meeting FORD Focus launch KOÇTAŞ İzmir branch 15.year celebration event OTOKOÇ branch managers meeting RMK MARINE Coast Guard boat delivery ARÇELİK Research and Development reward event FORD Dealers Event AYGAZ 50.year celebration event FIAT 500C launch DIVAN ELMADAG opening event TÜPRAŞ Annual internal meeting AYGAZ Dealers Meeting GRUNDIG Dealers Meeting

Memberships

Headquarters

Setur is a member of the following organizations :

SETUR TRAVEL AGENCY Bağlarbaşı Kısıklı Cad. No: 24 34662 Altunizade Phone: (+90 216) 554 37 00 Fax: (+90 216) 474 94 29 E-mail: info@setur.com.tr Web: www.setur.com.tr

IAPCO, ICCA, ASTA, ICVB

TEKSER TOURISM & TRAVEL INC.

TekSer Tourism & Travel was founded in 1979 in order to answer the travel related needs of the business community. During the ensuing two decades, Tekser has become a major international operator, offering a wide range of travel options with highly competitive quotations for discerning customers.

Accustomed to being the leader in its field, TekSer’ s multilingual staff of 35 supported by a carefully recruited team of English speaking tour directors, guides, transfer assistants and drivers run its four operational departments.

The TekSer difference in attitude and performance is reflected in our motto personalized service at its best – Two decades dedicated to excellence in customer satisfaction and the experience gained

preparing the ideal custom made programs for such diverse guests as executives of major multinationals , conference delegates and/or religious study groups has taught us how to respond to our clients’ requirements efficiently, to be scrupulous in choosing what we offer and meticulous in the way we deliver them.

TekSer Incentives & Meetings Department, our standard bearer, has concluded quite a few international events, many involving globally known companies.

For us, a successful incentive lets your guests carry back home that sense of uniqueness, which comes from just having lived a “once in a lifetime experience”. Our job is to suggest, design and deliver the particular program to create that special effect.

Feyhan Kaprali General Manager

• rgani ation o incentives, conventions,seminars, congresses • rgani ation o meetings or any purpose in uniquelocations - in historical settings, among natural attractions, exciting places, on traditional wooden yachts or cruise vessels…

• ultural, historical, religious, archeological and other special interest tours • Museum and art tours, alumni group meetings • ummer or inter holiday arrangements, • acht cruises and charters, special itinerary odysseys by yacht and explorations including visits to Greek Islands.

• kiing, hot air ballooning, adventure travel • Airline ticketing ATA • otel bookings and car rental

Affiliations

Headquarters

TekSer is a member of the following organizations:

Meşrutiyet Mahallesi, Halaskargazi Caddesi, Gazi Ethem Pasa Sitesi, No:112 Kat:4 Osmanbey - İstanbul - TURKEY Phone: +90 212 231 6800 - Fax: + 90 212 231 67 04 e-mail:incentive@tekser.com - www.tekser.com

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MEETURKEY Alternative Tourism & Incentive Magazine