Bodrum Property Developer

A newly published report by flight comparison service Skyscanner, compiled from its 7 million monthly UK visitors, lists Turkey amongst the Top 5 most searched holiday destinations - from UK airports - for 2010.

The data was compiled from the last quarter of 2009 when the majority of holidays are being planned for 2010 and provides an interesting insight into where the British plan to holiday this year. It is hoped a good number of visitors will go onto purchase property in Turkey.

Bodrum (BJV) ranked 15^th and Dalaman (DLM) 5^th over increasingly less popular Spanish destinations such as; Palma, Lanzarote, Gran Canaria, Barcelona, Murcia, Ibiza, Fuerteventura and Madrid - a number of which plummeted down the rankings.

Thomas Cook, TUI and easyJet have already announced increases to their services to Bodrum and Dalaman for 2010 to cater for the growth in demand.

Favourite Italian destinations such as Rome, Venice and Milan also saw their rankings slip.

Bodrum and Dalaman polled higher positions than even the most traditional European holiday destinations such as Faro (Portugal), Geneva (Switzerland), Paris and Nice (France), Amsterdam (Holland), Dublin (Ireland), Prague (Czech Rep.), Berlin and Munich (Germany), Salzburg (Austria), Crete (Greece) and Sofia (Bulgaria).

A major contributory factor could well be the strength of the Euro against the pound where the British in particular, when contrasted against their European counterparts, enjoy a beneficial rate when exchanging their pounds for Turkish Liras – more than doubling their money.

Turkey significantly attracted more interest as a holiday destination than Cyprus, Egypt, Morocco, Dubai and Malta.

Further afield, again Bodrum and Dalaman attracted more interest than New York and Las Vegas (USA), Bangkok (Thailand) and Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia).

Orlando however, polled 4^th position and is one the highest climbers compared to the same period last year, up 12 places. Travel Editor Sam Baldwin comments: “The rise in popularity of Orlando is primarily due to the new Harry Potter theme park opening in the spring. Other big movers include Johannesburg and Cape Town as the World Cup is just around the corner”. The top 3 positions remained unchanged.

Turkey emerged as a clearly favoured holiday destination for 2010 and is certainly continuing to build on its growing reputation as a cost effective alternative to traditional Spanish destinations.

Cumberland Properties can endorse these findings having already sold 2 properties at Woodland Regency in the first week of January 2010 and are currently experiencing a significant increase, over the same period last year, in enquiries for both property in Bodrum and rentals in Bodrum, having already secured a number of reservations for the ever popular Seaview Regency Prestige

Oh, and should you have the good fortune to be holidaying in Turkey during the world cup; fans of the beautiful game will be relieved to hear that their enthusiasm is shared by most Turks, so rest assured you won’t have to travel to far to find superb coverage of the event.

Source: Skyscanner

This Saturday, people from around the world will join over 2,000 candlelight vigils in over 130 countries calling for a “real deal” at the Copenhagen climate talks.

The event in front of the Bodrum Municipality building will start at 5:30 p.m. & the one in Gümüşük will start at 6 p.m. A two-hour vigil will be held with a film shown on a giant screen at the bar in Gümüşlük.

“The message to world leaders from the people of Gümüşlük & everywhere will be, ‘We want a real deal,’” says Agnes Bayatti-Özdemir, organizer of the event in Gümüşlük & a member of online campaign network Avaaz.org, which is coordinating the global action.

“We need a deal that is ambitious enough to leave a planet safe for us all; fair for the poorest countries that didn’t cause climate change but are suffering most from it; & binding with real targets that can be legally enforced,” she said.

As part of the global day of action, called The World Wants a Real Deal, two local events will be held in Bodrum, one in the town centre & another one at Club Hotel Zemda in the Gümüşlük district.

  For further information about Avaaz.org contact Bayatti-Özdemir at: agnesb14@hotmail.com.

Source: http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com

Turkey benefits from not being in the euro zone. There are plenty of excellent deals currently on offer for overseas investors, but those in the sector have reasons to wonder how long this can last. Experts say there has never been a better time to buy.

Turkey has long been a favorite with overseas investors, and there are plenty of deals being offered, but those in the know are wondering how long this can last, Property Week, a news magazine in the commercial property market, reported last week.

“I cannot remember a time when there were so many offers to entice property buyers in Turkey,” said Robert Nixon, executive director of Nirvana International.

“As a company specializing in Turkey, we are amazed at the number of excellent incentives currently available from developers,” he said. “However, we also wonder when they will end.”

There is reason to believe that such a “nirvana” will cease shortly as Turkey benefits from not being in the euro zone. The country’s economy is proving robust and its property market is growing from strength to strength, according to gowealthy.com, a Dubai-based lifestyle Web site.

Buying quality, new builds

Tourism is growing, with visitor figures for the first 10 months of 2008 showing a rise of a massive 13.1 percent. Turkey also has an acute housing shortage as an increasing number of businesspeople swell the cities and with older properties falling out of favour, the modern trend is to buy a quality new build.

“Since January the enquiries have been coming through thick and fast,” Nixon said. “You wouldn’t think it in the current climate, but they are. We have genuinely seen a 15 percent increase on the same period last year”. “Turkey offers a real alternative at unbelievable prices offering buyers either a new lifestyle or a holiday home for cheap holiday’s forever plus rental income. Whichever way you look at it, there really has never been a better time to buy.”

For more information visit:
Hurriyet Daily News

Cumberland design and construction

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The Turkish authorities are hoping to attract US visitors with a campaign aimed at boosting the country as a low cost European destination…

In a move welcomed by property owners who rent out to holidaymakers during the summer months, the Unlimited Turkey promotion also pushes the country’s historic landmarks and its locations which include mountains and beaches.

‘It is good to see the authorities’ spending money to boost visitor numbers. There are a lot of property owners who rely on the income from holidaymakers in the summer who are worried that this year will be a disaster,’ said Graham Holding who has properties in Bansko and Antalya.

‘I know property investors in Bulgaria who are really scared right now as they have no bookings at all for the summer. Knowing that Turkey is part of a major advertising campaign in the US means that we can also target these markets,’ he added.

The extensive campaign includes billboards in prominent outdoor locations, advertisements on television, in print in nationwide newspapers and magazines and on double-decker buses throughout key US markets.

It promotes Turkey as an eclectic destination with modern cities, beaches, historical landmarks and mountains that have the old world European charm as well as being affordable.

‘This integrated campaign will position Turkey as the go-to destination for anyone wishing to experience the history and allure of European culture. Turkey’s tourism product appeals to all types of travellers. Our destination offers some of the finest beaches, mountains and cities such as Istanbul, Cappadocia, Antalya and the Black Sea,’ said Hasan Zongur, Attaché for Turkish Tourism and Culture in New York.

He also pointed out that while some countries such as Bulgaria, Croatia and Greece are expecting significant drops in visitors this year Turkey is anticipating a growth in tourists.

‘We are actively working on promoting Turkey and making sure we don’t see a drop in visitors,’ he added. The Turkish Government is expecting a five per cent growth in visitor numbers for 2009.

According to a leading British tour operator, Turkey has knocked Spain off the top spot in terms of being the most popular summer holiday destination for Britons in 2008.

This may not seem so significant, until one remembers that Spain had dominated that top spot for the past 30 years. It seems that the appeal of Turkey is rising and rising and in the words of the Association of British Travel Agents, Turkey is enjoying “spectacular growth,” according to Rhiannon Davies from Shelter Offshore, an online publication.

The World Travel and Tourism Council predict that Turkey’s period of growth has really only just begun and that over the coming decade the rate of growth in the tourism sector will reach at least 5 percent annually. Fantastic news for a nation that is already seeing its economy go from strength to strength.

In recent weeks the nation’s currency has slightly recovered from deep falls against the dollar, and as Turkey continues its slow but steady march towards European Union entry, doing everything that is required of it to secure entry, international confidence is rising in this nation.

In the interim, however, the Turkish economy is considered emerging, the nation is largely cash driven and therefore property prices remain low. Mortgages are expected to boost the market, and as big name property developers such as Dubai’s Emaar Properties enter the real estate market, so internationally speaking, interest in Turkey’s brand new and exciting property market is increasing.

All of these positive factors mean that for anyone with a relatively small amount of capital that they want to invest, Turkey could make a very exciting and potentially profitable choice. You can buy in today at a low price, (apartments in coastal areas start from just 35,000 pounds), benefit from one of the first mortgages, rent out your home to the increasing tourism demand and ultimately profit from your property when you come to sell it as it will have likely risen in price as demand for real estate increases and values rise in line with this demand.

For a low cost, low risk entry into property investing, Turkey makes a fantastic choice. What’s more, there is no denying the level of interest in Turkey as a holiday and an investment location, therefore an investor buying in today is not leading the field and therefore shouldering all the risk, they would just be getting in on an early wave of real estate demand. They probably stand the best chance of riding the wave of rising property market success in Turkey, which is why property in Turkey is a good investment to consider.

Source – Hurriyet Daily News – 1^st April 2009

The number of people searching for property in Turkey on internet property searches has risen by over 250% this year in comparison to the same period last year, according to statistics from PropertyIndex.com.

The latest figures from PropertyIndex.com show searches for property in the US have fallen 57% while those for Spain have increased by 26%. This time last year the US was one of the most popular destination in terms of overseas internet property searches but this year it has dropped below Portugal, Cyprus, Italy and Greece,

Overall 3.33% of searches during January and February 2009 were for property in the US, down from 7.73% in the same period in 2008. While searches for real estate in Spain have jumped from 18.6% in 2008 to 23.4% this year. Turkey also performed well, recording 7.18% of searches in 2009 compared with 2.83% in 2008.

Those countries experiencing a decline in interest include France which dropped from 18.95% to 13.24% of property searches in 2009 compared to January and February 2008. But it is still the second most popular country after Spain.

Others include Portugal at 7.17%, Bulgaria at 5.81%, Cyprus at 3.41%, the United Arab Emirates at 2.17%, Malta at 1.03%, Morocco at 0.96% and Cape Verde at 0.69%.

The overall average house price searched over all countries dropped 9.4% from €227,680 in January and February 2008 to €206,218 in 2009.

In the US interest is in lower priced properties with the average house price searched falling from €895,170 €503,473. Spain saw a slightly lower drop in price with average price of properties dropping from €489,987 to €334,020.

In Turkey the searches in 2009 are for more expensive properties. The average house price searched in Turkey jumped from €74,718.95 in 2008 to €90,154.76 in 2009.

Golf in Turkey is a growing sport with new courses opening up around the country to cater for the growing demand from the tourist industry. Check out www.golfing-in-turkey.com for more information on golf in Turkey.

If your interested in playing some golf in Turkey while you’re staying in Bodrum, well here are two places you might want to check out.

Vita Park Golf Course

The exclusive members only Vita Park Golf Resort is positioned next to the spectacular lake of Tuzla. Featuring two par 71, 18 hole courses they each come with the other facilities on the site like tennis courts, a fitness centre, swimming pools, sun decks and a gourmet restaurant and club house. The courses and other facilities have been designed by Dr. Gürol Büyük and his son Erol Büyük allowing the area to fulfil its luxurious potential whilst considering the character of the land and awareness of eco sensitive issues. Buying a property in Turkey near this dynamic golf resort will offer you the lifestyle and the financial benefits you are looking for. The golf resort will be open all year round meaning you can visit or stay in your property for however long you wish and also the rental potential is increased as you don’t have to worry about only renting out 6 months of the year. Of course at this golf resort it’s not just about the golf, there is a wide selection of other activities for the rest of your party to enjoy.

Bodrum Golf Club

Bodrum Golf Club Academy Course is the first golf club to open on the Bodrum Peninsula giving the opportunity of playing and learning golf to the golf enthusiasts. The golf club has been designed as a social retreat and has a 5 hole golf course, driving range, practice putting area, chipping area and bunkers. Restaurant, bar, cafe, and day spa with jaccuzzi facilities are also available in the Club. A Proshop is serving for Golf Players to buy or rent equipment in the club house, and there is also a locker room with showers.

Check out www.golf-in-turkey.com for more information.