Turkish Airlines, flying to more countries than any other airline, is once again providing its Touristanbul program, one of the premium services it offers to its passengers. Offering the opportunity to discover Istanbul with a complimentary city tour to international stopover passengers, the flag carrier aims to promote the unique wonders of Istanbul to the world.
Through the program Turkish Airlines provides to its guests with a connecting time between 6-24 hours in Istanbul Airport with a complimentary city tour. Eligible passengers will have the opportunity to discover Istanbul’s historical and cultural wonders, such as Sultanahmet Mosque, Ayasofya Mosque, and Topkapı Palace, between their connecting flights. As part of the program, passengers are picked up from Istanbul Airport by a Touristanbul vehicle, embark on a tour of Istanbul accompanied by a guide and are transferred back to the airport for the next leg of their flight. Leveraging the program, the flag carrier aims to increase its share in the transit passenger market and contribute to Türkiye’s tourism.
On the restart of the project, Turkish Airlines Chief Marketing Officer Ahmet Olmuştur stated; “With the Touristanbul project we aim to showcase Turkish hospitality and Istanbul’s unique wonders to our guests and contribute to the tourism of Türkiye. Our goal is to increase transfer passenger numbers and our market share with this premium service. After being suspended in 2020 due to Covid-19, Touristanbul is now restarting. Since 2019, 349,738 guests have had the chance to discover Istanbul through this service. The satisfaction of our guests opting for the service, along with increase in the number of passengers, give us motivation for the future of the program. We expect approximately 60,000 guests to benefit from the Touristanbul program by the end of the year.”
As citizens of 129 countries are discovering Istanbul with the Touristanbul program, its schedule is prepared with the consideration of guests’ flight plan. With six different tours organized every day, passengers are able the choose the one that accomodates their flight times.
About Turkish Airlines:
Established in 1933 with a fleet of five aircraft, Star Alliance member Turkish Airlines has a fleet of 378 (passenger and cargo) aircraft flying to 340 worldwide destinations as 287 international and 53 domestic, in 129 countries. More information about Turkish Airlines can be found on its official website www.turkishairlines.com or its social media accounts on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn, and Instagram.
About Star Alliance:
The Star Alliance network was established in 1997 as the first truly global airline alliance, based on a customer value proposition of global reach, worldwide recognition and seamless service. Since inception, it has offered the largest and most comprehensive airline network, with a focus on improving customer experience across the Alliance journey. The member airlines are: Aegean Airlines, Air Canada, Air China, Air India, Air New Zealand, ANA, Asiana Airlines, Austrian, Avianca, Brussels Airlines, Copa Airlines, Croatia Airlines, EGYPTAIR, Ethiopian Airlines, EVA Air, LOT Polish Airlines, Lufthansa, Scandinavian Airlines, Shenzhen Airlines, Singapore Airlines, South African Airways, SWISS, TAP Air Portugal, THAI, Turkish Airlines, and United. Overall, the Star Alliance network currently offers more than 12,000 daily flights to almost 1,300 airports in 197 countries. Further connecting flights are offered by Star Alliance Connecting Partners Juneyao Airlines and THAI Smile Airways.