Turkey: Oyak

OYAK Tourism Meeting & Incentive Services is part of the OYAK Group; the largest group of companies in Turkey. The group consists of 60 companies active in finance, manufacturing and the service industry.

OYAK Tourism Meeting & Incentive Services is a destination management company which operates throughout Turkey and is a member of such national and international organisations as IATA, ASTA, ICCA and TURSAB. The company works to internationally recognised quality control standards ISO 9001 2000 and ISO 14001, in addition we also certified to OH SAS 1800 standard for Health & Safety at work.

We are committed to achieving total client satisfaction by being a forerunner of new ideas and delivering the highest standards of quality service in our industry.

Website: oyaktourism.com

Key Contacts
Bozkurt Cendey, Tourism Director
Yusuf Pekerkan, Director Incoming Groups
Özgür Şenay, Director Incoming Groups

Turkey - Destination factfile

Flying Time from London London - Istanbul approx 4 hours
British Airways fly to Istanbul from Heathrow, Aberdeen, Edinburgh and Glasgow.
Turkish Airlines fly to Istanbul from Heathrow, Stansted, Manchester, Birmingham and Dublin.

Main Airport Istanbul Atatürk International

Transfers The airport is directly in the city; travel time to city centre is approx 30 minutes depending on traffic.

Immigration Visas are given at the airport for European countries and USA; after arrival at Istanbul Airport, the visa police stamp the visa onto the passport of the traveller - no invitations are required. However, visitors from developing countries such as India, Thailand, China, Malaysia, Philippines, South Africa, Egypt, etc will need invitation letters and other required documents in order to obtain visas from the Turkish consulate in their country.

For further information contact the Turkish Consulate in London

Turkish Embassy
43 Belgrave Square
London, SW1X 8PA
Tel: 020 7589 0949

Turkish Consulate
Rutland Lodge
Rutland Gardens
Knightsbridge
London, SW7 1BW
Tel: 020 7591 6900

Turkish Consulate (London) website

Official Currency TL – Turkish Lira
Coins: 5 kr – 10 kr – 25 kr – 50 kr – 1 TL
Notes: 5 TL – 10 TL – 20 TL – 50 TL – 100 TL – 200 TL

Climate In summer the weather in Istanbul is hot and humid, the temperature between June and September averaging 82°F (28°C). Summers are relatively dry, but rain can occur all year round. During winter it can be cold, wet and often snowy. Snowfalls tend to be heavy, but temperatures rarely drop as low as freezing point.

Local Time GMT +2. Istanbul is in the Central European Time Zone. In the winter months clocks are set at GMT +1 hour and in the summer (March to end of October) GMT +2 hours.

Electricity 220V 2 pin continental type plug.

Official Holidays
January 01: New Year's Day
November: Kurban Bayramı (moveable dates)
April 23: National Independence & Children's Day
May 19: Youth & Sports Day
August 30: Victory Day
October 28-29: Republic Day
August - September: Ramazan (Ramadan)/Seker Bayramı (moveable dates)

Health Advice Turkey has a large health sector with a high-standard of private healthcare available at reasonable cost in the main cities. Many Turkish doctors and dentists speak a foreign language, particularly at major hospitals. Private health insurance is recommended. First aid and ambulance treatment will be provided free of charge in the case of an emergency.
Drinking tap water is not advisable

Communications
Dialling code from UK to Turkey 00 90 + 212 Istanbul(Europe) or +216 (Istanbul Asia)
Mobile networks: Turkcell, AVEA, Vodafone
Emergency numbers: Police 155 / Fire 110 / Ambulance 112

Taxes VAT known as KDV (Katma Deger Vergisi) is levied in goods and services. The VAT percentage for goods and service is 18% and for accomodation 08%

Business Hours Banks are open weekdays Monday - Friday from 9:00am to 5:00pm. Museums are generally open Tuesday – Sunday from 9:30am to 5.30pm.