Latest news with #Izmir
Telegraph
4 days ago
- Telegraph
Airline offers package holidays including hair transplants and nose jobs
A Turkish airline is targeting Britons with package holidays that include hair transplants, facelifts and discount dental work. SunExpress, a fast-growing low-cost airline, is offering flights from 12 British cities next summer to places like Antalya, a centre for dental treatment, and Izmir, where clinics specialise in six-pack and buttock implants. Max Kownatzki, the company's chief executive, said that while traditional beach holidays remained the primary draw, Britons were keener than most nationalities on packages that included medical procedures. 'Medical tours are popular year-round. Everything you can imagine, it's there. There are clusters. Istanbul is big in hair, Antalya is big in teeth, Izmir has implants of all kinds,' he said. 'A seat-only passenger will look for a hair transplant and how to get there, and we can take them. But the tour operators have the same aim as us of diversifying their product portfolio and that is what they are doing.' According to SunExpress, its summer bookings from the UK are up 22pc this year following the addition of flights from Liverpool and Glasgow, partly driven by people combining nose jobs and other cosmetic surgery with a week on the beach, according to the airline. Medical tourism is a booming sector, with around 2m foreign patients visiting Turkey's 4,000 clinics last year for procedures including IVF and cosmetic work such as lip flips, nose jobs and breast surgery. The number of British people receiving medical treatment overseas reached 431,000 in 2023, spurred by long NHS waiting lists and the high cost of private procedures at home. Almost one in five of those unable to get a dental appointment have also decided to go abroad, according to Ipsos poll results published in March. A joint venture between Lufthansa and Turkish Airlines, SunExpress has increased UK capacity five-fold to 2m seats since 2022, adding flights from two airports a year on average. The airline is targeting the UK after securing 38pc of German travel to Turkish cities other than Istanbul, with tourist traffic boosted by visits home by the nation's 3.8m ethnic Turks. 'It can't get hot enough' Mr Kownatzki said leading discount carriers Ryanair and EasyJet were under-exposed in the UK-Turkey leisure market, with Leeds-based Jet2 providing the most competition. Golfing breaks are in 'huge demand' from Britons, he said, with Turkey the third-most-popular destination for winter golf after Spain and the Algarve. It is also promoting 'conference tourism' to resorts such as Dalaman as an alternative to London venues where prices soar in autumn and winter. The chief executive said holiday bookings are extending further into so-called shoulder periods outside the summer peak, though there is no sign of demand easing off in the hottest summer months. He said: 'I'm asked that question: what do you think about climate change? But I almost think it can't get hot enough. Antalya was 40-something degrees this week, hot and humid, and demand is going up.'
Daily Mail
08-07-2025
- Daily Mail
Foreign Office issues warning to Brits heading to Turkey over behaviour that could lead to 'prison sentences'
Tourists visiting a popular Mediterranean hotspot this summer are being strongly warned against discarding cigarette butts, as this act can easily spark wildfires, especially during the hot and dry summer months. The Foreign Office is urging visitors to be extremely cautious while holidaying in Turkey to extinguish cigarettes properly, dispose of them responsibly, and be aware of fire risk areas. It comes as scorching heatwaves blighting Europe is causing major disruption as wildfires continue to devastate popular holiday resorts and ground flights. Sweltering temperatures exceeded 40C (104F) across much of southern Europe over in late June, with firefighters rallying to tackle blazes across the drying continent. Greece and Turkey have been hit hard by wildfires, causing chaos for tourists as hundreds of passengers were left stranded. A huge fire ripped through the popular resort of Foça, İzmir, in Turkey before strong winds fanned the flames and sent it towards neighbourhoods and residential areas on Sunday, 29 June. In the wake of the blaze, flights at İzmir Adnan Menderes Airport had closed temporarily as of 4pm local time. Residents watched in horror as their homes went up in flames while firefighters spent more than 22 hours tackling the huge blaze across İzmir. Around 550 residents were evacuated from some 175 homes in Ilıpınar, Foça. It comes as scorching heatwaves blighting Europe is causing major disruption as wildfires continue to devastate popular holiday resorts and ground flights (Pictured: Cesme district of Izmir, Turkiye July 03, 2025) Firefighters continue to extinguish fires broke out in the forest area in Buca district of Izmir, Turkiye on July 4, 2025 Though the fire is suggested to have been caused by a high-voltage power line, local authorities are now urging tourists visiting the region to remain vigilant while smoking cigarettes or lighting barbeques. Discarding cigarettes can ignite fires as filters can smoulder and easily start a fire in dry vegetation. Barbecues, especially disposable types, can pose a significant fire risk in woodlands due to the heat they retain after use, the potential for embers to be carried by the wind, and the dry conditions that often prevail in wooded areas during warm days. In new travel information shared by the Foreign Office on July 4, officials shared: 'You could get a fine or prison sentence for lighting a fire of any kind or discarding cigarettes in risk areas such as woodland.' Both locals and tourists are advised to keep a watchful eye out for signs that strictly prohibit smoking, barbeques and the ignition of fires in the area. Should an individual encounter a fire or smoke, they are urged to call emergency services on 112, Turkey's primary emergency number , which can connect callers to police, fire, medical and other services. For holidaymakers who are planning on visiting European countries this summer, it's advised research destinations and get appropriate travel insurance, travelling against official advice, such as ignoring fire safety warnings, could invalidate insurance. The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) offers further advice about risks of travel for Brits unsure of laws and rules when travelling abroad. It comes as British holidaymakers are facing even more woe in Spain as the government proposes a smoking ban on terraces and open-air nightclubs. Spain's Ministry of Health is preparing a law to extend smoke-free spaces to terraces, bus stops, work vehicles, uni campuses, communal swimming pools and open-air nightclubs. The latest measure, confirmed by Spain's minister of health Mónica García today, was borne out of an anti-smoking plan approved by autonomous communities at the Interterritorial Council of the National Health System, which sought to expand smoke-free zones across Spain. The draft bill will need to be approved by Spain's Council of Ministers before it is sent to the Cortes Generales, the country's parliament.
Al Arabiya
06-07-2025
- Climate
- Al Arabiya
Turkey sends firefighting aircraft to Syria as wildfires rage on both sides of the border
Turkey sent two firefighting aircraft Saturday to help battle wildfires in neighboring Syria as Turkish firefighters battled a blaze on their side of the border and one person was reported dead in the country's west. Eleven fire trucks and water support vehicles were also dispatched to help beat back flames in Syria's northwest Latakia region, according to Raed Al Saleh, the Syrian minister of emergency and disaster management. He posted on X, saying 'sudden wildfires in Turkey' delayed their arrival by almost a day. Turkey has been battling wildfires since June 26. Forestry Minister Ibrahim Yumakli said Saturday that firefighters successfully controlled 10 major fires in western Turkey, but an injured forestry worker had died, the third in the municipality of Odemis in Izmir province. Authorities said most of the fires in Izmir were caused by faulty power lines. Meanwhile, in Hatay province, which borders Syria, emergency crews continued fighting a blaze that broke out Friday afternoon in the Dortyol district near a residential area and rapidly intensified due to strong winds, the state-run Anadolu Agency reported. Some 920 homes had been evacuated as a precaution against the advancing flames, Governor Mustafa Musatli said late Friday. Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said 44 suspects had been detained in relation to 65 fires that broke out across the country. Fires that have hit Turkey, Greece and Syria over the past week have been fueled by soaring temperatures, strong winds, and low humidity. In Turkey, they led to the evacuation of tens of thousands of people and damaged some 200 homes. The Syrian Civil Defense expressed concerns over the presence of unexploded ordnance from the country's past conflicts in some of the wildfire areas. Summer fires are common in the eastern Mediterranean region, where experts warn that climate change is intensifying conditions.
Al Arabiya
06-07-2025
- Climate
- Al Arabiya
Wildfires spread across Europe
Several wildfires broke out on Saturday across European countries including Greece, Turkey and France, whose southern regions are battling multiple fires following a prolonged heatwave. In Turkey, where firefighters have battled more than 600 fires in the drought-hit nation over the past week, authorities said a forestry worker injured while fighting the flames in the province of Izmir had died of his injuries. The blaze, about 100 kilometers (62 miles) east of the coastal resort of Izmir, had already claimed the lives of an 81-year-old bedridden man and a 39-year-old forestry worker on Thursday. The fire was brought under control on Friday evening, along with six other forest fires mainly in western and central Turkey, Agriculture and Forestry Minister Ibrahim Yumakli said on X. But firefighters on Saturday were still battling a fire in the southern coastal area of Dortyol, near the Syrian border. Turkey has largely escaped the recent heatwaves that swept southern Europe, but strong winds have intensified the forest fires. French weather service Meteo-France said on Saturday the punishing heatwave that began on June 19 had officially ended on Friday, lasting in all 16 days -- the same length as the country's deadly 2003 heatwave. That same day, however, the first major fires of the season broke out in the south, as well as in the Bouches-du-Rhone and Herault departments, leading authorities to shut down portions of a key motorway during the first weekend of the summer holiday season. Traffic jams reached up to 10 kilometers in each direction on the A9 motorway, with water being distributed to the numerous motorists stranded under the blazing sun. In Mireval, near the southern city of Montpellier, a blaze fanned by swirling winds led firefighters to evacuate about 10 people. 'It was very frightening, especially between 4:00 pm (1400 GMT) and 6:30 pm. The air was unbearable to breathe, there was a lot of smoke in the village, you couldn't see anything anymore and large ashes were falling from the sky,' said 46-year-old resident Lorette Gargaud. In Greece, a 52-year-old man was arrested on the island of Evia, accused of starting the fire that devastated part of the island between Friday evening and Saturday morning. The man was allegedly clearing brush from a plot of land when the fire broke out and quickly got out of control, public broadcaster ERT reported. Greek firefighters remained on high alert on Saturday due to high temperatures and strong winds across the country.
Al Jazeera
05-07-2025
- Climate
- Al Jazeera
Izmir, villages in Turkiye affected by wildfires now under control
A forestry worker injured in a wildfire in the western Turkish province of Izmir has died from his injuries, raising the death toll in recent days from the fires to three, as the blaze in villages of the Odemis district was brought under control but emergency crews continued to battle one in a province bordering Syria. Worker Ragip Sahin 'who was injured while fighting the fire in Odemis and was being treated in hospital, has died', Agriculture and Forestry Minister Ibrahim Yumakli said on Saturday in a post on X. Yumakli also said the blaze in Odemis had been brought under control by Friday evening alongside six other wildfires, mostly in western and central Turkiye. He added that firefighters were still trying to control a blaze in the southern coastal area of Dortyol in Hatay province. Turkiye was mostly spared the recent searing heatwaves that engulfed the rest of southern Europe, but firefighters have battled more than 600 fires since June 26 in the drought-hit nation, which have been prompted by high winds. The fire in Odemis, about 100km (60 miles) east of the resort city of Izmir, had on Thursday killed a bedridden 81-year-old man and a backhoe operator who died while helping firefighting efforts. In a video on X, Odemis Mayor Mustafa Turan said the fire had ravaged about 5,000 hectares (12,400 acres) of land. 'The fire came violently to this area, there is nothing left to burn. About 5,000 hectares was reduced to ashes,' said Turan. On Monday, rescuers evacuated more than 50,000 people to escape a string of fires. 'According to the authorities, the fires that lasted for four days started in Tusurman village … you can still see smoke coming out from this evacuated village,' said Al Jazeera's Sinem Koseoglu, reporting from Odemis. 'Nothing is left in this village, no one is living here and there is nothing left to reside in. After the fires erupted due to electrical cables in this village, it quickly spread to the nearby villages on this side and then to other villages. Just on the first night [of the wildfires], authorities had to evacuate five villages,' she added. 'For citizens of Turkiye living in the valleys and forests, life is becoming more difficult every year as climate change brings more wildfires. And this year, wildfires came earlier than expected to Turkiye,' said Koseoglu. Turkiye sends help to Syria In the meantime, in Hatay province, which borders Syria, emergency crews continued fighting a blaze that broke out Friday afternoon in the Dortyol district near a residential area and rapidly intensified due to strong winds, the state-run Anadolu Agency reported. Some 920 homes had been evacuated as a precaution against the advancing flames, Governor Mustafa Musatli said late Friday. Turkiye also sent two firefighting aircraft on Saturday to help neighbouring Syria battle wildfires in its northwest Latakia region. Eleven fire trucks and water support vehicles were also dispatched, according to Raed al-Saleh, the Syrian Minister of Emergency and Disaster Management. Turkiye's Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said 44 suspects have been detained in relation to 65 fires that broke out across the country, which led to the evacuation of tens of thousands of people and damaged some 200 homes. According to the European Forest Fire Information System (EFFIS) website, there have been 96 wildfires in Turkiye this year that have ravaged more than 49,652 hectares (122,700 acres) of land. Experts say human-driven climate change is causing more frequent and intense wildfires and other natural disasters, and have warned Turkiye to take measures to tackle the problem.
