Transit passengers stopping over at Turkey's Atatürk Airport in Istanbul now have a chance to tour Istanbul for free. Turkish Airlines is organizing tours for international transfer passengers who are continuing to a foreign destination and have to wait at the airport for at least six hours. Called TourIstanbul, the project also serves to promote Turkey's largest city, which constitutes the economic, cultural and historical heart of the country. Since 2009, passengers from different parts of the world have had a chance for a short and quick tour of the historic city on the European side of the city. Last year, 16,000 passengers took advantage of the opportunity and visited numerous sites around Istanbul including the Hagia Sophia, Blue Mosque, Topkapı Palace and the Basilica Cistern. "Sometimes passengers change their flight times so they can attend our free tours and they enjoy the city instead of wasting their time at the airport," Handan İnci, a marketing expert at Turkish Airlines, told Anadolu Agency. Tours are available every day from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. and 12:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.
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