Minister for Tourism says the future is Spa....

Atilla Koc, Turkey's Minister for Culture and Tourism, has identified Thermal Tourism as a key part of the strategy to increase Turkey's tourist appeal. Turkey has the 7th highest number of thermal resources of any country in the world but currently only 1% of visitors per year come to indulge.

Extensive investment is taking place to make the most of this rich and desirable resource, with million-dollar spa hotel projects planned or underway in locations all over Turkey, and promotion of health tourism worldwide.

As Koc points out, spa tourism is a year-round business, and also diversifies from Turkey's image of sun, sea and sand. [source: Oxford Business Group]

Of course Turkey has long recognised the benefits of spa therapy, whether al fresco in the mud baths of Dalyan or under cover in any Turkish Hamam in the country.

Turkey's goal for 2010 is to increase tourism, expand its diversity and improve profits and employment from tourism. and our very own Didim is one of the targetted tourism hotspots. For more information, check out the 2010 Tourism Vision for Turkey on the Ministry of Culture and Tourism website.

The true costs of buying, owning and using property in Turkey

The BBC and the Guardian aren't the only publications talking about buying property in Turkey - the Telegraph from 13th January 2007 also has an interesting article about buying property in Turkey - Turkey's "New" Era Enticing Foreign Buyers. At the end of the article is a piece on the costs of buying and owning property in Turkey, with the information provided by one of the largest international property companies operating in this part of Turkey.

The information is great - if you are buying from that company. However it doesn't represent the experience of the vast majority of buyers, past or future, unless the company in question achieves a total monopoly of the Turkish property market!

So what are the true costs of buying property in Turkey and where can you find the definitive answer? Does the information provided by the Telegraph represent the best deal, the worst, or somewhere in the middle? Find out next week at Buying Property in Turkey...

Why are so many Britons moving to Didim?

According to a report by the Institute for Public Policy Research published in December 2006, an astounding 38,000 Britons now live in Turkey for at least part of each year and 34,000 full time.

Britons are coming to Turkey seeking a better way of life whether that be a sunnier climate, cheaper cost of living, healthier lifestyle, friendly neighbours or just to get their foot on the property ladder - and everyone is talking about it. UK broadsheet newspaper The Guardian features an interview with the mayor of Didim, where nearly 10,000 homes have been sold to British buyers in the last few years. Didim has been exceptionally responsive to the needs of its growing expat community, providing utilities bills in English, an English helpdesk at the council offices, and council-organised Turkish lessons to help new residents settle in.

The BBC also has something to say about the appeal of Didim to British visitors - including those with special requirements. In Turkish Delights, her article about her experience on holiday in Altinkum, Penny Batchelor finds that while Turkey's disability provisions may not be up to scratch (steep stairs and busy buses are two of the day-to-day challenges she faced), Didim at least has its heart in the right place. And now in addition to the people who couldn't do enough to help Penny, and the kerbside ramps being put in by the council, property developers are picking up on the need to offer easy access homes. For information on fanastic new developments offering step-free homes in the sun, contact us!

Turk's Eye View - Today's Zaman launched

As the process of acceding Turkey to the EU continues, a third locally-published English language newspaper joins the voices speaking out from Turkey. On Tuesday the first edition of Today's Zaman launched, following a high profile launch event attended by the Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul as well as a number of international attendees including US Ambassador to Turkey, Ross Wilson.

The new paper aims to act as a media representative for Turkey to the rest of the world, as well as providing quality worldwide and national news reporting and articles relevant to all English-speakers with an interest in Turkey, as well as fulfilling the normal functions of a daily newspaper for English-speaking Turkish residents - including cartoons, TV listings and a cryptic crossword!

The current edition has some articles of particular interest to foreigners who own property in Turkey, including Don't forget to declare rental income, Tax avoidance and real estate transactions, and one for those who are considering it, Ready to build but where?.

So this is the third... what are the first two?

You may be wondering which the two other Turkish papers printed in English are... Well, so am I! Today's Zaman is the first I've seen in print; however there are several papers with good online versions, particularly Hurriyet and Turkey Post.

For a comprehensive list of papers from Turkey published online, including in English, this is a good resource: http://www.onlinenewspapers.com/turkey.htm

To see Today's Zaman online, click here: http://www.todayszaman.com/tz-web/

Hurriyet in English: http://www.hurriyet.com.tr/english/

Turkey Post in English: http://wn.com/s/turkeypost/index.html

Buying Property in Turkey - By Popular Demand: New Turkish Dictionary Feature!

What's a tapu? How do I ask for a lawyer in Turkey? Does satilik mean that property is for sale, or for rent? What does an emlak do? What's the word for Property Tax?

Buying property in Turkey can be done without any knowledge of the language at all. You can use a good English-speaking agent and a government-authorised translator for the legal bits, and complete the whole transaction without even a word of Turkish.

But sometimes you might want to be able to look things up for yourself, or check key words on your contract (which must be in Turkish to be legally binding in Turkey). So we've added an excellent translation tool to our newsletter, powered by Turkish Dictionary. It's on the right-hand side of this page and very easy to use - just type in the word you want to translate either in English or Turkish and the translation will open in a new browser window.

And of course if you have any questions about buying property in Turkey that can't be explained by the dictionary, we are happy to help! Just drop us an email at info@dizaynhomes.com.

Furnishing your home in Turkey becomes even easier and cheaper!

Buyers of property in Turkey are sometimes daunted by having to furnish their new property from the roof downwards - after all, these days even new couples moving into their first home together usually have the odd wardrobe, set of cutlery or at least an ironing board to start them off.

And of course, trying to find a sink plunger when you can't find the right word in your phrase book, or knowing that you'll get the best price by bargaining but not being quite sure where to start, can make doing your tax return suddenly look very appealing in comparison...

Well now relief is at hand. Swedish home giant Ikea has extended its reach into Turkey, and at the same great prices. So UK and US homebuyers can cut out the confusion and pick up everything from teaspoons to home offices in one familiar place!

Ikea Turkey is at Istanbul and Izmir - or get a preview and view the online catalogue here: Ikea Turkey online catalogue

Why Invest in Turkish Property? Quotes from the experts

"Turkey today is among the twenty largest economies in the world with a GNP of about 380 billion US Dollars. "

"Turkey will meet the Maastricht Criteria even before becoming a full member of the EU. It is estimated that in the next decade, Turkey will become the sixth largest economy in Europe, with a total GDP of over 800 billion Euros."

"Bilateral trade between Turkey and EU countries is fast approaching 80 billion Euros, making Turkey one of the EU’s largest trading partners. "

Source: COMMENTS ON THE 2006 DRAFT REPORT OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT ON TURKEY’S PROGRESS TOWARDS EU ACCESSION - Available on the website of the Turkish Embassy in London