Istanbul to attract investors at top real estate fair

The Istanbul Chamber of Commerce (ITO) aims to attract the world's "richest of rich" investors to Istanbul with the slogan "Istanbul: Two Continents, One City" at MIPIM 2017, the world's largest real estate event that kicked off held in Cannes today.

The ITO is preparing to bring a breath of fresh air at MIPIM, which will run until March 17, and to attract wealthy people and celebrities from around the world.

The Istanbul real estate tent, established by the ITO, is located on the Cannes coastline, one of the most prestigious spots, where important financial companies from Paris and London have also founded tents.

Aimed at attracting visitors with the slogan "Istanbul: Two Continents, One City," the tent will be the meeting point between global investors and real estate companies from Istanbul.

At MIPIM, which is visited by the "richest of rich" and some 23,000 real estate professionals from 90 countries, the ITO will also highlight citizenship opportunities in Turkey for investors through digital presentations.

"We will tell how attractive and beneficial it can be to buy properties in Istanbul," said ITO Chairman İbrahim Çağlar.

Saying that they have been carrying out an important image campaign at MIPIM with the "living Istanbul model" over the last two years, he added that they will focus on bilateral talks and present the model at the tent this year.

He noted that participants visiting the Istanbul real estate tent will fall in love with Istanbul and have a chance to recognize the projects in the city.

"We will also promote the opportunities of acquiring Turkish citizenship through investments, saying, ‘Sip tea at your home with a Turkish passport and a view of the Bosporus.'"

Emphasizing on the fact that they wanted to create an "Istanbul dream" targeted to wealthy investors, Çağlar said, "We will inform foreign investors that the most attractive and lucrative way of living in Istanbul is to buy a house in the city. We will tell them about the opportunities and what it means to own a house in the world's only city that is located on two continents. We will emphasize that the value of their house will increase with every passing day and that they will have the opportunity of obtaining a Turkish passport if they buy a house worth $1 million or more."

He stressed that they have planned every part of the 685-square-meter Istanbul real estate tent as a meeting place of international investors and domestic entrepreneurs.Underlining that they have boosted Istanbul's image through real estate tent for the past two years, Çağlar said they are aspiring to turn this "beautiful" image into more investments and gains this year.

Çağlar claimed that they designed each and every point of the tent by keeping in mind the "Istanbul: Two Continents, One City" slogan, and they looked to eliminate any efforts that may create a negative perception of Istanbul and Turkey following the July 15 coup attempt.