House sales to foreign buyers soared by 25 percent in June, as post-referendum uncertainty gave way to an increased confidence in Turkish property. Government measures to increase investment and improve economic growth mean buyer confidence is back - particularly in Istanbul.
An agreement between Ankara and Kyiv allowing citizens of each country to visit the other without passports is set to increase the flow of visitors between Turkey and Ukraine. Three quarters of a million Ukrainian tourists are set to visit Antalya alone this year, a rise of around 45 percent on the previous year. In other news, hotel occupancy rates across Turkey are up - although revenues are down.
Reforms and tax cuts are pushing economic growth in Turkey and stalling inflation in a bid to revitalise Turkey's economy. Growth is expected to be greater than 5 percent this year, and next year experts are hoping it tops 7 percent. At the top of the list are efforts to stall inflation, and a 180-day plan to kickstart the economy.
Thanks to government reforms which include an offer of citizenship with a $1m property purchase, and the scrapping of VAT, Turkey is more popular than ever with Gulf buyers, who are increasingly turning to Istanbul for lifestyle and investment properties. Cameron Deggin of Property Turkey says the trend should continue as Turkey's economy strengthens.
Istanbul New Airport is almost halfway there, says Turkey's Transport Minister. The behemoth project is on track for the first phase of completion next year, at which point it'll have the capacity to serve 90 million annual passengers. The construction is well underway, and with the first stage being almost twice the size of Monaco, you can appreciate the size and scale of the megaproject.
A huge rise in the number of Russian visitor numbers to Turkey pushed April visitor numbers up by 20%, resulting in an overall 1% increase in visitor numbers to Turkey in the first four months of the year. April marked the first time in 20 months that tourist numbers to Turkey rose. Analysts think momentum should increase as Turkey puts its instability behind it.
A number of government measures aiming to increase the number of buyers investing in Turkish property have been introduced in the last year or so. Tax cuts and incentives like offering Turkish citizenship to buyers spending more than $1m on Turkish property are helping to transform the property investment landscape in Turkey.
The last quarter saw a rise in hotel occupancy rates, a good sign that tourism is on the rebound. However, revenue is down as hoteliers struggle to entice visitors. Meanwhile, visitor numbers from the Middle East are up, while the tourist industry is trying to persuade Turks who'd usually travel abroad to stay at home and travel within the country this year.
Turkey and India are in talks to increase trade between the two countries, with Turkish president Erdogan saying the current $6.5 million trade could reach $10 billion with increased investment on either side. Meanwhile, the southern city of Antalya is aiming to promote itself as an Indian tourism venue - with a focus on weddings.
Turkey's back on track, say analysts, after a record-breaking run on Istanbul's BORSA exchange. Companies traded on the BORSA reached record-level market values, thanks to a flood of investors who'd waited until after post-referendum political tumult died down to invest in Turkey. Analysts say the long-anticipated structural reforms will have a positive impact on the future of the country's economy.
After hard campaigning, President Erdogan has won his victory, with just over half of Turkey's voters approving the sweeping constitutional changes that will see Erdogan take the helm of an executive presidency. However, the country's largest cities voted no, leaving the country polarised. What's in store for Turkey following the referendum?
Turkey´s economy is performing better than expected, prompting rating agency Moody´s to revise its 2.2 percent growth forecast to 2.9 percent. Meanwhile, Russian tourist numbers visiting Antalya have climbed by thousands as tourists return following an improvement in relations between Turkey and Russia.
