New flights lift turkish property as tourism booms

36.8 million foreign visitors arrived in Turkey in 2014. Average spending has grown 5.7 per cent in the past five years. Tourism, in short, is booming. As a result, the Turkish property market is also performing strongly, with house sales up 16.3 per cent in December 2014 year-on-year.

The boost from Turkey's tourism industry, though, is set for a lift this year, as British Airways launches new flights.

The services to Bodrum and Dalaman will launch from Gatwick on 27th April 2015. The Bodrum route will run until 22nd October 2015, flying on Mondays and Thursdays, while the Dalaman route will be available until 24th October 2015, operating on Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. BA also flies direct to Istanbul Ataturk, and Izmir Metropolitan.
   
“That BA has decided to fly to Dalaman and Bodrum, which act as gateways to a number of resorts, is a shot in the arm for this increasingly popular corner of the Mediterranean,” said Julian Walker, director at Spot Blue International Property.

“Easyjet, Monarch, ThomasCook and Turkish low-cost carrier Pegasus are among airlines that already fly to these airports, but adding BA is the icing on the cake and shows the positive effect that Bodrum’s smart new terminal, which opened in 2012, is having. And for holiday homeowners that offer rentals, it means guests travelling to their property have a greater choice of flights, increasing the overall rentability of their home.”

While the beach resorts are expected to take off, though, Istanbul is already basking in the tourism spotlight.

Istanbul is fast gaining an enviable reputation as one of the world's top tourist destinations, with Trip Advisor ranking it in prime position in its Top 25 World Destinations as part of its 2014 Travellers' Choice Awards.

A melting pot of history and culture, as well as being a thriving financial Centre, the resounding success of Turkey's largest city has led to a flourishing property market, ripe for investment and increasingly so.

Property company Universal 21 has been successfully working in the South-West region of Istanbul for 7 years, with Director Adil Yaman predicting that 2015 will be an even more exciting year.

"Istanbul is a renowned transcontinental city that has grown to become the planet's go-to destination," comments Adil. "This has meant that great opportunities have emerged for people investing in the local property market and we are fortunate to be able to help people in this through our wide range of property projects, from studio, one or two bed apartments, through to large, exclusive detached villas.

"With growing tourist numbers and greater development in the property market already being recorded this year, it is clear that 2015 is going to build, further still, on this enviable reputation and we look forward to what it will bring for Universal 21 and our clients."