WHY ISTANBUL?

Istanbul is the only city in the world built on two continents. Its fate has been determined by its vital strategic location and enchanting beauty. It has long been coveted by powerful empires, and served as capital to Roman, Byzantine and Ottoman Empires.

Istanbul stretches along the two shores of the Bosphorus that links the Sea of Marmara in the south with the Black Sea in the North. It is Turkey’s largest city with a population of 14 million.

Istanbul is also the heart of the economy of Turkey. The largest companies and banks, the main newspapers, television networks and advertising agencies all have their headquarters in the city.

Istanbul is also the capital of art and culture with a rich tradition in opera and ballet, theatres performing Turkish and foreign plays, concert, art exhibitions, festivals, auctions, conferences and of course unique museums. The city also boasts the country’s largest and finest universities.

As an imperial capital for 1500 years, Istanbul has acquired a highly original personality. Everywhere in the city you can face with Roman, Byzantine and Ottoman palaces, mosques, churches, monasteries, monuments, walls and ruins.

Yet Istanbul is not a city living in its past. It is a vibrant, modern and future-oriented metropolis. Bazaars and ultra-modern supermarkets and department stores, street vendors and stock-brokers, old crumbling buildings and skyscrapers, horse-drawn carts and luxurious limousines, fine dining restaurants, modern cafes and street corner food shops coexist and this mixture gives the city a multi-faceted outlook and flavour.

Being one of the attractive tourist destinations, Istanbul hosts over two million visitors per year with an increasing trend for each year. As well as leisure, cultural or faith tourism, Istanbul now is receiving high demand from international congress organizers and meeting planners.

As it has been in previous years, Istanbul has hosted many international large scale congresses in 2004 among which are the NATO Conference, OECD Conference, World Newspaper Congress and Islamic Conference of Foreign Ministers, all with over 1.000 participants and attendance of ministers and heads of state. With its modern infrastructure, state of the art venues and luxurious accommodation facilities, Istanbul now is one of the world’s leading destinations for international meetings, congresses and exhibitions.

Persons of all countries of origin and national background are granted admission (with or without a visa requirement) to Turkey. There are no restrictions for entry based on country of national origin. For the participants requiring visas, visas can be easily obtained from Turkish Embassies abroad and/ or at the airport.