destination reports: turkey: Attractions
Attractions
When it comes to incentives, Turkey offers the world on a plate with a host of activities guaranteed to suit all delegates. Local destination management companies (DMCs) can arrange unique events for groups large or small. Why not host a gala dinner of Ottoman cuisine for up to 2,000 in Istanbul’s Grand Bazaar and regale guests with a Janissary band and belly dancers, or organise a whirling dervish show and Sultan’s fancy dress night.
Take your group for a dinner cruise down the Bosphorus; one of the best ways to experience Istanbul’s many wonders, or for a real blast why not arrange a cocktail reception at an Ottoman cannon factory?
Beyond Istanbul, destinations such as Epheus, Hittites Bo?azköy and Cappadocia, as well as the capital Ankara, all offer a host of attractions worthy of a visit. Take your group out to sea and cruise through the blue waters and tranquil bays of Turkey’s Aegean and Mediterranean coasts on a traditional wooden gulet yacht. The tradition of the Blue Cruise began almost a century ago and today is a favourite with visitors to Turkey.
A gulet can accommodate a small incentive group or a larger group can sail in a flotilla, which provides opportunities for races or competitions between different boats organised as teams. Blue Cruises are ideal as stand alone incentive programmes but can also be combined with land-based incentives to give your participants the best of both worlds.
Alternatively, take to the air. Hot air ballooning is available in several destinations across Turkey, although Cappadocia indisputably offers the most dramatic site for a balloon ride. Soaring soundlessly over the lunar landscape of Cappadocia’s Fairy Chimneys – soft volcanic stone sculpted by wind and time into gravity- and logic-defying forms – is a unique and unforgettable experience. If hot air ballooning is too sedate an experience, then thrill-seeking delegates might enjoy bungee-jumping. This unforgettable adrenaline rush is available at a variety of locations throughout Turkey.
Other incentive options include jeep safaris, traditional cooking courses, Ottoman calligraphy demonstrations and carpet weaving.
