Turkey trending among Iranian tourists

The passenger occupancy rate has reached around 85 percent for flights to Istanbul from Iranian cities such as Tehran, Shiraz, Mashhad, Isfahan and Ahwaz. A total of 165 return flights are conducted between Istanbul and various Iranian cities each week.

Behzat Atarot, a station official for Iranian ATA Airlines based in Istanbul said that a total of nine air carriers are conducting 18 return flights from Atatürk Airport to Iran each day. Atarot said, "As ATA Airlines, we conduct flights from Istanbul to Tehran and back every night. The passenger occupancy rate for the Newroz period reached around 95 percent. The passenger occupancy rate is similar for other airlines." According to Atarot, Iranian tourists in Istanbul hope to visit Istanbul's Büyükada island, in addition to historic and touristic sites such as Hagia Sophia.

Ferima Bombayni, an Iranian tourist visiting Istanbul, said that she was visiting Istanbul for the first time and that she will return to celebrate Newroz like many other Iranian tourists. She said, "I went to the Princes' Islands, where I listened to a concert by an Iranian singer. I toured bazaars and marketplaces."

Another female Iranian tourist said she loved Istanbul very much and plans to visit the city whenever possible.