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Tags: Turkey Travel / Travel Advertising / Tourism Boards / Tourism Campaigns / Religious Travel / → All Tags

Turkey Launches Campaign To Capture Hearts, Tourism Dollars

Turkish tourism has taken a sustained hit this year, both because of the recession and because of some geopolitical dustups that we aren't about to get into. Regardless of the cause, the country's tourism board realizes they need to make up some ground. As a result, they're launching a new campaign to emphasize the wide array of travelers who will find something in Turkey, from history buffs to pilgrims to sports tourists.

The ad push includes a commercial they planted in the center of Times Square, a revamped new web presence with information about events, to a YouTube channel with a bunch of videos. The channel can be a little over-exuberant in places—the description of Turkey as the "cradle of civilization" and the "center of world history" will be news to Baghdad and Rome—but it does a good job highlighting the different kinds of options travelers can avail themselves of.

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Tags: Smoking / Bars / Cafes / Turkey Travel / → All Tags

Adventures of Link: Please, No More Cold Turkey Puns

As of today, Turkey has banned smoking in all enclosed areas. But getting people to comply may be quite a task, as half of all Turks smoke at least occasionally, according to Gallup.

If you're not ready to quit, you'll find a reprieve at bars, cafes and restaurants: They'll have until July 2009 to go smoke-free. Until then, one waiter says, you'll be able to skirt the restrictions:

I don't think the Turkish people will follow this law ... They will find a way around it. But I think it's a good change. Even as a nonsmoker, I feel like I am smoking.

Maybe we shouldn't be so cynical, though. If the French kicked the habit, maybe the Turks can too!

Related Stories:
· Turkey, Smoking Nation, Tries Out Ban [NYT]
· Turkey without Tobacco? [IHT]
· Turkey Widens Smoking Ban to Enclosed Areas [AP, via Google]
· Places You Can't Smoke, from Bhutan to Uganda [Wikipedia]
· Smoking coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo from Istanbul: John Picken]

Tags: Television Travel / TV Travel / Matt Lauer / Turkey Travel / Protests / → All Tags

Matt Lauer Continues His Globe-Trotting

"The Today Show" publicity stunt/geography lesson that is "Where in the World is Matt Lauer?" continued today with a stop in Istanbul. We'll give Meredith Vieira a pass on her claim that "New Zealand is on a submerged continent" and instead focus on the cool info that Lauer had on Turkey, where tourism has doubled in the past six years.

The morning host was also joined by Lester Holt who did a quick tour around the country to Bodrum, Pamukkale, Cappadocia and Ephesus. We also got a look inside the famous Blue Mosque in Istanbul.

Oh, and it's a good thing Matt did his introductory stand-up on a boat in the Bosphorus. Helped him avoid those May Day demonstrations that police in Istanbul put down with tear gas and water cannons today.

Related Stories:
· Where in the World Is Matt Lauer? [MSNBC]
· Television Travel coverage [Jaunted]