Месяц: Февраль 2024

There is a train running between Istanbul and Sofia and finally we can tell you!

📌 How to buy tickets?

You can only buy them at the ticket offices at Halkalı, Söğütlüçeşme and Sirkeci stations in Istanbul.

❌ Online you can’t.

💳 Pay by credit card or cash lira.

The ticket includes either 2 cabin-size suitcases or 1 large suitcase. If more, you will have to pay about 10 euros for each one.

⚠ Need a Bulgarian visa or open Schengen if your passport does not allow visa-free travel.

Be sure to buy a return ticket at once, because in Sofia you can only buy a ticket for Bulgarian carriages — they say they are worse.

You can buy either a compartment for 1/2/4 people or you can share a compartment with a person of the same sex.

In a 2-seater compartment there is a sink, refrigerator and 1 socket.

20:00 The train leaves from Halkalı — you can arrive half an hour in advance.

≈ 01:30 Turkish border. It is necessary to get off the train and pass it with your feet.

In fact it can be late, from 2 to 3-30.

≈ 02:00 Bulgarian border. Passports are collected and then brought back.

≈ 09:30 Arrival in Sofia. In fact it may be 11.00 late.

In the train there is no restaurant car and boiling water (more precisely boiling water can be asked from the conductor).

🐈 It is possible with animals, with all chips-vaccinations-titers of course.

For October 2023 the cost of a compartment for 2x 120 euros in 2 directions.

😉 To ride back and forth in the framework of entertainment and walk around Sofia is quite possible. Well or for relocation as an option can be, because from Sofia to fly cheaper in the EU.

A delegation of the Moscow City Government headed by Minister of the Moscow Metropolitan Government Sergey Cheremin held talks in Antalya on bilateral cooperation in various fields. The talks were held from October 3 to 6, the Russian Consulate General in Antalya reported.

«During the visit with Turkish partners discussed promising areas of cooperation between Moscow and Antalya: the development of transportation and road infrastructure, innovative technology parks, smart city technologies, bilateral cooperation in education, holding joint sports and cultural events,» the report said.

With the participation of the Consulate General, negotiations with Antalya Mayor Myuhittin Bojek, a business breakfast with representatives of the business community and the Industrial Association on the development of bilateral trade and economic ties were held. The Russian delegation also visited the Antalya Traffic Management Center, several universities and schools, including Russian-speaking ones.

The delegation included Vladimir Platonov, President of the Moscow Chamber of Commerce and Industry, representatives of the Moscow Government and the prefecture of the Southern Administrative District, and directors of some of the capital’s schools.

Sales across Turkey in September were down 9.5% compared to the same month last year. Istanbul had the highest share of housing sales with 15,247 sales or 14.9%. Next was Ankara with 9,048 sales and a share of 8.8%, and Izmir with 5,476 sales and a share of 5.3%.

January-September housing sales were down 14.9% year-on-year.

Housing sales to foreigners in September decreased by 42.0% compared to the same month last year, totaling 2,930. The share of housing sales to foreigners in the total volume was 2.9%. Antalya ranked 1st in foreigners’ housing sales with 1,070 sales. Next are Istanbul with 978 sales and Mersin with 211 sales.

In September, Russian citizens bought 722 units in Turkey. Then Iranian citizens with 327 units, Iraqi citizens with 191 units and German citizens with 148 units respectively

What must now be complied with:

▪Short-term rentals are less than 100 days. The logic is that tourists coming to Turkey cannot stay in Turkey for more than 90 days at a time.

▪To rent out an apartment, you must obtain a license from the Ministry of Culture and Tourism and post a sign at the entrance to the building stating that it is for rent.

▪ The Ministry will be authorized to issue licenses. The fees for the paperwork and signage have not yet been determined, but this will also be done by the Ministry.

▪The application for a license must be accompanied by the consent of all apartment owners in the building where the apartment for rent is located.

Attention!

The idea is not that the license is obtained by the owner of the apartment. The license is obtained for the whole building. And in order to get a license, it is necessary to hold a meeting, where unanimously decide that the building is suitable for renting.

The system has not been tested yet, but it seems to be a natural solution that developers will obtain the consent of the owners to rent out apartments in the building. The signature on the rental consent document would become part of the deal.

▪ If the same owner rents out more than five apartments in one building, he must register his company.

▪ It is the landlord’s responsibility to obtain authorization. But if it is not the landlord himself who rents out the apartment, it is possible to rent it out through certified category travel agencies.

The new rules are effective October 16, 2023. The main changes 1. Turkish residence permit is given when buying real estate worth 200 thousand dollars or more. 2. To obtain a residence permit for the purchase of real estate requires a valuation report, which should be the amount of at least 200 thousand dollars. Only then you can apply for an ikamet. 3. Real estate is purchased in Turkish lira at the rate of the Central Bank of the country. 4. If the property is bought in the period from April 26, 2022 to October 15, 2023 ikamet can be obtained under the old rules. That is, residence permit is given when buying housing for the amount of 75 thousand dollars in large cities and from 50 thousand dollars in small towns. 5. Get ikamet for the purchase of real estate, as before, you can only in areas open to foreigners. Recall, to buy real estate in Turkey foreigners can everywhere, except for some regions. But a rule has been introduced: to obtain a residence permit for the purchase of real estate can be only in those areas where no more than 25% of foreigners live from the total number of residents

From January 1, 2024, the owners of such housing will not be able to rent out apartments, apartments and other housing in Turkey to tourists without licensing and a number of other conditions, and subletting will be prohibited. There are large fines for violations. We found out how this will affect tourists. Experts predict an increase in prices for rented housing and “price wars” between apartment owners and 1-2* hotels.

The Turkish Parliament has adopted the first part of a new law on tourist rentals. The new law describes in detail the procedures for renting out housing to tourists and the responsibilities of its owners. The law is the “answer” of the Turkish tourism industry to the growing popularity of rented apartments among foreign tourists, announced back in the summer.

Thus, according to the calculations of Kaan Kavaloglu, president of the Mediterranean Association of Tour Operators and Hoteliers (AKTOB), this year on the Antalya coast 19% of all tourists did not live in hotels, but in rented apartments, apartments, villas, etc. According to him, the peak of rental tourists’ housing in Turkey on Airbnb and similar platforms fell precisely in 2023, which seriously affected the number of hotel accommodations.

“Local and foreign tourists preferring Antalya for summer holidays have gone to accommodations rented through Airbnb and similar platforms to reduce the cost of their holidays. The number of overnight stays in Antalya has increased by 23% this season, but hotels are not full. Even tourists, who we consider a high-income group and who prefer hotel villas, are now renting private villas. This, in turn, has had a major impact on upper mid-segment hotels,” he said.

“There is unfair competition. Of course, a tourist may prefer to rent private apartments and houses. We’re not against it. But there must be oversight. Those who do this must go through what we hoteliers went through. Let them pay taxes, conduct audits, and we will compete fairly with them,” he said.

Turkey’s tourism industry eventually managed to pass through parliament a new law that would make it more difficult for apartment owners to rent them out to tourists and force them to pay taxes.  

IT WILL BE DIFFICULT FOR INDIVIDUAL HOMEOWNERS IN TURKEY TO RENT AN APARTMENT TO TOURISTS

According to the approved provisions of the law, which will come into force on January 1, 2024, the business of renting out apartments and apartments to tourists will be significantly more complicated and subject to a number of requirements. At the same time, the law does not apply to one-time rental of housing for a period of more than 100 days, but anything less is subject to its conditions.

In order for housing to be rented out for tourism purposes, the owner of the premises must obtain the appropriate permission (license) through the prefecture from officials of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism before concluding a rental agreement. The license will be paid, the amount of the fee will be determined by the ministry.

Moreover, when applying for a license, in some cases it will be necessary to submit a protocol with the signatures of the owners of apartments in the building (section of the site where the apartment is located): that they agree that this apartment can be transferred for short-term tourist rental. If there are several apartments, signatures of all 100% of the residents may be required; if there are fewer than three, 25% may be sufficient. Also, permission to rent out apartments can be obtained not by the individual owner himself, but by the person who owns the building, for example, a developer.

Owners of premises will be able to conclude rental agreements through Group A travel agencies certified in accordance with the Law on the Association of Travel Agencies, i.e., in essence, transfer to them (with the payment of a commission) the right to rent out housing for short-term use to tourists at their own discretion.

All tenants of tourist accommodation (that is, its temporary users) will be prohibited from renting it out to other individuals on their own behalf and entering into contracts with them. That is, any sublease to individuals will be prohibited.  

Among other things, from January 1, 2024, any apartment or apartment or villa that is rented out to tourists will need to be labeled. The owner or operator will be required to order from the ministry and install a sign at the entrance indicating that the premises are tourist accommodation

Russia became the leader in the number of tourists in Turkey in 2023, the total foreign tourist flow to the country increased by 10%. A total of 56.7 million people visited Turkey last year.

Travelers from Germany came second in the number of trips, with the United Kingdom in third place. Bulgaria and Iran were also in the top five.

Tour traffic to the country has approached the pre-pandemic figures.

The number of visits to Turkey has already exceeded the figures of 2018 (5.96 million), although it is still 10% less than in 2019, then more than 7 million Russians visited the country’s resorts.

According to statistics, the largest increase in tourist traffic is observed in Istanbul. This city was visited by about 2 million Russians, which is 32.6% more than last year. At the same time, we should not exclude transit travelers, the share of which is about 500-600 thousand people.

During the last year, 255 companies were registered by Russians in Antalya, which significantly exceeds the number of commercial structures created by natives of other countries. This was reported by TASS with reference to the data of the Chamber of Commerce of the Mediterranean resort.

According to the Antalya Chamber of Commerce, citizens of Germany founded 83 companies, Iran — 64, Ukraine — 53, Azerbaijan — 42. Most often organizations specialize in construction (71) and information technology (57), also popular are establishments of catering and entertainment (53).

Recall, the demand of Russians to buy foreign real estate in the first 11 months of 2023 decreased by 31% compared to the same period in 2022. The drop in interest comes after last year’s peak. In 2022, the majority of transactions fell on Turkey, UAE and Georgia. In 2023, purchase applications fell by 70%, in Georgia — by 38%, in the UAE — by 13%.

«In 2024, the minimum wage will be 17,002 Turkish Liras, which means an increase of 49%. May it benefit our country and nation,» Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said in his social media account X.

Turkey’s Minister of Labor and Social Welfare Vedat Ishihan:

▪We are happy that with the new amount we have once again fulfilled our promise not to subject our employees to inflation.

💱 As of December 27, 2023, 17002 lira is equal to 53 thousand rubles or $ 578.

As part of Istanbul’s preparation for a possible strong earthquake, the Turkish authorities plan to start implementing a plan to renovate the city’s housing stock in early 2024. This was announced by Minister of Environment and Urban Development Mehmet Ozhaseki on TV-100.

«I will prepare the [renovation] plan and present it at a government meeting within 10 days. In 15-20 days, we will develop all the necessary regulations and we will be able to announce the launch of the program to our citizens from the beginning of next year,» the minister said.

Seismologists have repeatedly warned about the possibility of a strong earthquake in the Istanbul area. According to their forecasts, with tremors of magnitude 7 or more, about 90 thousand buildings of the 16-million-strong city may collapse at once, 260 thousand will be damaged and become uninhabitable, temporary housing will be needed for 4.5 million people.

«I don’t want to scare anyone, but the truth should be told: a possible [strong] earthquake in Istanbul is fraught with bad consequences for the whole of Turkey. In Istanbul, roughly speaking, there are 6 million homes and about 1.5 million jobs. It is risky to live in about 600,000 housing units, so we need a program that provides for such resettlement at the initial stage,» Ozhaseki said.