Antalya

The 2016 World Botanic EXPO, one of the largest horticultural shows in the world, kicked off with an official ceremony on April 22 in Turkey's Mediterranean resort city of Antalya.

This year, "Restaurant Week" is being celebrated in seven cities of Turkey from April 1 through April 30. Gourmets have opportunities to discover new tastes in Istanbul, Ankara, ?zmir, Adana, Bursa, Antalya and Gaziantep where one can participate in activities such as Chef Table, Street Food&Street Jazz and Wine&Bite.

A week of intense preparations in Ankara for Saudi King Salman has been completed, with extraordinary security measures marking the king's two-day visit upon the invitation of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdo?an.

Police units in Istanbul stepped up their security measures in Istanbul's central Taksim Square on April 10 following a sound bomb explosion in the city's Mecidiyeköy neighborhood, while the United States warned of "credible threats" of a possible attack targeting tourist areas in the metropolis.

The United States embassy in Turkey on April 9 warned American citizens of "credible threats" to tourist areas in Istanbul and the Mediterranean resort city of Antalya, a day after Israel warned of "imminent risks" of attacks.

The holy field of Lagina (Hekate), an ancient place of worship for pagans in the western province of Mu?la's Yata?an, has been visited by 70,000 people in six months. 

Located nearly nine kilometers away from the Yata?an-Milas highway, the ancient site has been included in the tour program of an Antalya-based travel company and become popular particularly among foreign tourists. 

Russia has opened up flights to Turkey's southern resort of Antalya following a ban imposed in the wake of the shooting down of a Russian warplane in November, Russian media reported on March 24.

The Russian civil aviation authority, Rosaviation, has given the go-ahead for Ural Airlines to fly to Antalya, the state-run RIA Novosti news agency said. 

German airport operator Fraport has said it will be cautious on passenger growth at its Frankfurt and Antalya airports in 2016 after attacks on tourist destinations dampened demand for travel to places such as Turkey this year. 

Scheduled flights between Russia and Turkey by the two countries' flag carriers have dropped almost 50 percent along with the number of passengers after the downing of Russian jet by Turkey on Nov. 24, 2015, a tourism official has said. 

Antalya is Turkey's top holiday resort town, known for its sunny beaches, golf courses and all-inclusive hotels. However, the city faces an uncertain future after Turkey downed a Russian plane last year and Russian President Vladimir Putin promised revenge.