Antalya - Kemer Sea Bus services have started

Sea Bus services between Antalya and Kemer began on 26 June 2014. SeaBus is a passenger only ferry between Antalya Kaleici (OldTown) Marina and Kemer Marina. Antalya Metropolitan Mayor Menderes Türel and Governor of Antalya Sebahattin Öztürk attended opening ceremony.

SeaBus Schedule:

• 7:00 a.m. to 8:30 a.m.

• 12:30 p.m. to 05:00 p.m.

Ticket:

Sea buses will provide free services on June 27-28-29. Other days, a ticket for sea buses for Antalya - Kemer will be 10 (TL) Turkish Lira. You can buy tickets from  Antalya Kaleici Marina and Kemer Marina

There are only 3 sea buses. Names of the sea buses are Olympos, Termessos and Aspendos. Each of 3 has 20 gt 650 kW, with two engines, and a capacity of 42 passengers.

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EXPO 2016 Antalya Tower Project Announced

Contestants of the EXPO 2016 Antalya  Tower Architectural Design Competition were given awards by the EXPO 2016 Antalya Agency. The project won first place, inspired by Hadrian's Gate and palm trees. Secretary-General of Expo 2016 Antalya Selami Gulay said that the Eiffel Tower was made for the Expo in 1889 and has become one of the world's symbolic structures,  EXPO 2016 Antalya  Tower will be Turkey's Eiffel tower.

Antalya is entitled to make the World Horticultural Expo in 2016 which is considered one of the world's most important organizations in the Executive Committee meeting which was held on October 12 at the Bureau International des Expositions (BIE) in Paris. 

During the fair the 5 million tourists expected to visit Antalya. "Flower and Child" theme Expo is expected to bring revenue to the city of 4 billion Euros. Antalya 2016, an A1 International Horticultural Exhibition has already been recognized by the AIPH (International Association of Horticultural Producers), has applied for recognition by the BIE. The organizers presented for the first time to the committee the concept of their horticultural exhibition and reported on the progress made. 130 countries from all over the world are expected to participate to Expo Antalya 2016. 

Read more posts about Expo 2016 Antalya:

• Peony flower has been selected as symbol of EXPO 2016 ANTALYA
• EXPO 2016 ANTALYA THEMED PERMANENT POSTAGE STAMPS
• Great Support for EXPO 2016 Antalya by İsa Burak GONCA, the founder of Antalya City Blog
• Expo 2016 Antalya

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Tourism Cooperation in Turkic World

The Fourth Summit of Turkic Council starts in Bodrum. This year the Summit will concentrate on “Tourism Cooperation”

The Fourth Summit of the Cooperation Council of Turkic Speaking States (Turkic Council), an international organization established by the Nakhchivan Agreement signed among Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Turkey in 2009, will be held on 4-5 June 2014 in Bodrum, Turkey. The President of Turkmenistan will also attend the Summit.  

Within the scope of the Summit, Senior Officials Committee will meet on 2-3 June followed by the meeting of the Council of Foreign Ministers on 4 June, while the Council of Heads of States will meet on 5 June 2014. Secretary General of the Turkic Council will hold a press conference on 5 June.

The Summit is an institutionalized continuation of the Summits Process that took place from 1992 to 2010.  Each year the Summit is hosted by a different member state with a different topic. This year the Summit will concentrate on “Tourism Cooperation”. 

In preparation for the Fourth Summit the Ministers in Charge of Tourism of the Turkic Council met for the first time on 11 April 2014 in Istanbul. Abulfas Garayev, Minister of Culture and Tourism of the Republic of Azerbaijan; Marat Igaliev, Chairman of Tourism Industry Committee of Ministry of Industry and New Technologies of the Republic of Kazakhstan; Maksat Chakiev, Deputy Minister of Culture, Information and Tourism of the Kyrgyz Republic, and Halil Akinci, Secretary General of the Turkic Council attended the meeting hosted by Ömer Çelik, Minister of Culture and Tourism of the Republic of Turkey. 

Turkic World

The Ministers signed a Joint Cooperation Protocol in Tourism at the said meeting in order to promote the tourism potential of the Member States. The Ministers instructed the relevant authorities for preparation of the joint tour programme named “Turkic Council-Modern Silk Road”, together with a tourist guide, authorized the establishment of a Task Force under the leadership of Kazakhstan to make field visits in the Member States, underlined the importance of preparing necessary conditions for the organization of the tourism training programs to be conducted by Turkey for the other Member States. Furthermore, they decided to establish a Tourism Business Association under the aegis of the Turkic Council in order to initiate multilateral cooperation in tourism among private sectors of the Member States.  

Upon the invitation extended by Azerbaijan, the Second Meeting of the Ministers in Charge of Tourism of the Turkic Council will be held in May in 2015.

The Flag of Turkic Council

Photos from The Fourth Summit of Turkic Council

Additional information will be distributed to the media following the Summit. (www.turkkon.org)

Visit The Parliamentary Assembly of Turkic-speaking Countries (TURKPA): http://www.turk-pa.org/

Visit the Turkic Academy: http://www.turkacadem.kz/

Visit The International Organization of Turkic Culture: http://www.turksoy.org.tr/

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The 21st Aspendos International Opera and Ballet Festival

While celebrating its 21st Anniversary, International Aspendos Opera and Ballet Festival makes significant contributions to our country’s international promotion by bringing together the unique historical properties and the extraordinary acoustic of 2000 years old Aspendos Antique Theatre with Antalya’s natural beauties and the peaceful nature of art that reaches beyond the boundaries of language, religion and race. International Aspendos Opera and Ballet Festival, being the only opera and ballet festival of our country, has been the most important organisation of the Directorate General of State Opera and Ballet since 1994, gained an international recognition in 1998, and is nominated among the world’s most famous festivals.
The fact of being held at an antique theater like Aspendos, whose history goes back to 166 A.D, gives a distinct meaning to the International Aspendos Opera and Ballet Festival.
The audience, among whom % 70 are foreign tourists, has been seeing the performances of our festival every year.
With its increasing spectators year by year, International Aspendos Opera and Ballet Festival has become a visual carnival where history, music and a large number of people from several nations come together. 

The Festival, was accepted to EFA-European Festivals Association which is among the most respectful organisations in Europe, on October 24, 2003 and thus has confirmed its distinguished place among other festivals in the world once more.      

In 2004, as the result of a research done by The Independent, newspaper published in England, International Aspendos Opera and Ballet Festival ranked the 5th among 10 best opera festivals selected from among the renown opera festivals organized all over the world. Furthermore, International Aspendos Opera and Ballet Festival was given place within the first 10 among the Best Festivals of 2005 by the Festspiele Magazine, published in Germany, investigating all the festivals over the world.   

Don't miss the 21st Aspendos International Opera and Ballet Festival. From 30 Aug 2014 to 20 Sep 2014.

Festival Programme: 

For Tickets: 

http://www.dobgm.gov.tr/opera2013/devopera.aspx

For More Information: 

http://www.aspendosfestival.gov.tr/

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The 8th International Antalya Sand Sculpture Festival

DON'T MISS IT !!!

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.

Official Opening Ceramony: 01 June 2014

Official Closing Ceramony: 30 November 2014

What is there at the festival area?

• Cafeteria   
• Atv Safari
• Mini Children's Playground
• Official Festival Souvenir Shop
• Authentic Souvenir Shops
• Sand Castle
• Nightly Video Mapping Show

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 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 8th International Antalya sand Sculpture Festival is the EMPIRES II. The visitors have opportunity to see most important Empires at the exhibition area 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.

Entrance Fees

Adult: 15 TL

Child (0-2 y. for free): 6 TL

Where is Sandland

For more information: http://larasandland.com/

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The Agreement on Visa Abolition between the Turkey, Moldova and Belarus have Entered into Force

The Agreement on Visa Abolition between the Turkey, Moldova and Belarus have entered into force on 1 June 2014. 

Press Release Regarding the Entry into Force of the Agreement on Visa Abolition between the Turkey, Moldova and Belarus by the Republic of Turkey Ministry of Foreign Affairs: 

“The Agreement between the Government of the Republic of Turkey and the Government of the Republic of Moldova on the Mutual Abolition of Visas”, which was signed in Ankara on 1 November 2012, entered into force on 1 June 2014. With this Agreement, citizens of both countries will be exempted from visa requirement for a period of 90 days regardless of the type of their passports.

We believe that this Agreement is an important symbol of Turkish-Moldovan cooperation and will contribute to the political, economic, human and cultural dimensions of our relations with Moldova, whom we consider as a neighbour with strong historical ties.

“The Agreement between the Government of the Republic of Turkey and the Government of the Republic of Belarus on the Mutual Abolition of Visas”, which was signed on 29 March 2013 in Minsk, entered into force on 1 June 2014. With this Agreement, citizens of both countries will be exempted from visa requirement for a period of 30 days regardless of the type of their passports.

This Agreement is considered as an important step which will contribute to the strengthening of relations between Turkey and Belarus. We believe that mutual visa exemption, which is a concrete reflection of our political relations that have recently gained impetus through high-level visits, will strengthen the commercial, human and cultural aspects of our relations with Belarus.

Source: The Republic of Turkey Ministry of Foreign Affairs

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