Turkey - One Of The Most Popular Dental Tourism Destination
Introduction
Turkey, officially the Republic of Turkey have a diverse cultural heritage. Turkey is a rather cheap country comparing to big cities in Europe or US. You can easily imagine that shopping in Turkey is a great fun! Thus, making Turkey as a popular dental destination. The country's official language is Turkish and Ankara is the capital while Istanbul is the country's largest city and main cultural and commercial center. The famous bazaars are not only touristic, but also they are native shopping centers for all locals around the city. This makes Istanbul twice interesting for visitors. Although Grand Bazaar and Spice Bazaar are also usual, daily and attractive markets for locals to go shopping, you should not expect to be offered the same prices as locals are. If you would like to negotiate and deal, Istanbul Bazaars will be a heaven for you. Keep always in mind that if you are a good negotiator, you can reduce the price as low as 50% at a shopping in Grand Bazaar.
You can get by talking with the locals in English specially to tourist areas like, shops, hotels, restaurants, etc. However, as part of immersing yourself with the culture, it is still best if you learn a few basic Turkish language.
Turkey's extraordinary ecosystem and habitat diversity have produced considerable species diversity. There are 40 national parks, 189 nature parks, 31 nature preserve areas, 80 wildlife protection areas and 109 nature monuments in Turkey such as Gallipoli Peninsula Historical National Park, Mount Nemrut National Park, Ancient Troya National Park, Ölüdeniz Nature Park and Polonezköy Nature Park.
Turkey is situated in a large Mediterranean geographical location where climatic conditions are quite temperate, diverse nature of the landscape, and the existence in particular of the mountains that run parallel to the coasts, result in significant differences in climatic conditions from one region to the other. While the coastal areas enjoy milder climates, the inland Anatolian plateau experiences extremes of hot summers and cold winters with limited rainfall.
In mobile services, the leading companies are Turkcell, Türk Telekom, and Vodafone. There are more companies providing internet services compared to mobile services. TTNET, Turkcell, Superonline and Türksat Co are the largest companies. The most common technology is xDSL, although investors are currently focused on fiber optic interconnecting technologies. Internet service providers give service on a notification basis. Getting in-touch with your friends nad/or family at home won't be a problem here.
Turkish Dental Industry
Today, Turkish Dentistry, with its organization, scientific level, and its industry, has reached the power and maturity of the international scale to compete with the entire industrialized countries. The competitive capacity and the vision acquired are increasing our expectations for the future.
Turkish Dental Association entered into a long-termed endeavor for this aim following its establishment; and has become a prestigious professional organization well known with its mission and international relations, both in its region and in the globe.
On behalf of our country, in order to reach our target which we have determined, Turkish Dental Association has taken a leading role by improving the unity and by displaying the conjugate movement decision with Dental Faculties, Scientific Dental Societies, Dental Equipment Industrialist and Businessmen Society and Dental Technicians Chambers, who are the components of our profession.
In this context, besides its active memberships in FDI and ERO, Turkish Dental Association continues its highest-level professional solidarity with Balkan countries, Turkic Republics, Pakistan, Iran, Iraq, Syria and Arab countries.
Turkish Dental Association (TDA) is one of the most active professional associations in Turkey and it acts as the collective "voice" of nearly 24,000 dentists and is founded on June 7th, 1985 as a regulatory body for dentistry in Turkey and the central office is located in the capital city of Turkey, Ankara.
Dentists are organized through local chambers which exist in every city where the number of the dentists is more than 100 and the delegates of the chambers are all represented in the organization of TDA. Currently, there are 34 dental chambers functioning under the supervision of TDA. The Supreme Board of Directors and the Supreme Boards of Auditors and Disciplinary of TDA are elected by local delegates in the General Assembly for a period of two years. The problems of the dental profession and the solutions are discussed in these General Assemblies.
The Council of TDA consists of 11 members. There are 5 members of the Auditors Board and 9 members of the Supreme Disciplinary Board. The Council regularly meets at monthly intervals. The Supreme Disciplinary Board has regular meetings in January, May, and October, while the Supreme Auditors Board meets twice a year. Besides the Council and the Boards, there are also functioning commissions under the supervision of TDA.
Getting There For Dental Care
The wide range of flights to Turkey from the UK (fewer from Ireland) takes between 3hr 30min and 5hr, depending on your start and end point. Only two carriers fly directly to Turkey from North America, so most North Americans reach Turkey via a European gateway airport. Many travelers from Australia and New Zealand use a Round-the-World (RTW) ticket that includes İstanbul; there are direct flights from South Africa to İstanbul.
Airfares from Europe and North America are at their highest during Easter week and from June to early September. They’re lower in April and May, and from late September into October, while you’ll get the best prices of all between November and March (excluding Christmas and New Year, when seats are at a premium). Australian and New Zealand fares are lowest from mid-January to the end of February and October/November; peak season is mid-May to August, plus December to mid-January. Flight comparison sites are a good way to search for the cheapest option.
The main international airports are in western Turkey. Istanbul's main airport, Istanbul Atatürk International Airport (IST), is in Yeşilköy, 23km west of Sultanahmet. The international terminal (Dış Hatlar) is polished and organized. Close by, the domestic terminal (İç Hatlar) is smaller but no less efficient. Sabiha Gökçen International Airport (SAW), This airport on İstanbul's Asian side is popular with low-cost European airlines but is not as conveniently located as Atatürk. Antalya Airport (AYT), Receives flights from across Turkey and Europe. İzmir Adnan Menderes Airport (ADB), There are many flights from European destinations. Bodrum International Airport (Milas–Bodrum Airport) (BJV), Receives flights from all over Europe, mostly with charters and budget airlines in summer, and from İstanbul and Ankara with the Turkish airlines. Dalaman International Airport (DLM), Seasonal flights from many European cities, and year-round from İstanbul. Ankara Esenboğa Airport (Esenboğa International Airport) (ESB), Numerous international and domestic connections from Ankara, although İstanbul's airports offer more choice.
Turkish Airlines, the national carrier, has extensive international and domestic networks, including budget subsidiaries Sun Express and AnadoluJet. It is generally considered a safe airline, and its operational safety is certified by the International Air Transport Association (IATA).
Traveling to Turkey by train is slow and expensive. It only makes sense if you are a rail buff or wish to visit several other countries en route. The best route from the UK begins with the Eurostar service from London Waterloo to Paris, then an overnight sleeper to Munich, followed by a daytime Euro-City departure to Budapest, and finally two more nights aboard a sleeper to İstanbul (including a change of engine in Bucharest), making a total journey of five days and four nights. The best train deal is provided by an InterRail pass, which offers unlimited travel (except for express train supplements and reservation fees) on a zonal basis within thirty European rail networks. These passes are only available to European residents, and you must provide proof of residency to purchase one. InterRail passes do not allow free travel between Britain and the Continent; although InterRail pass-holders are eligible for discounts on rail travel in Britain and Northern Ireland, the cross-Channel ferries, and the London to Paris Eurostar service.
You can drive from the UK to Turkey in three to four days. However, this allows little time for stopping and sleeping, and most travelers prefer to do it more slowly, taking in a few places en route. The all-land itinerary goes via Belgium, Germany, Austria, Hungary, Romania, and Bulgaria, though a more relaxing if the less direct route is through France, Italy, and Greece.
Ferries no longer run from Italy direct to Turkey, but it’s possible to take a ferry from either Ancona, Brindisi or Bari to Patras in Greece, and make your way by road or rail to Athens (Piraeus). Regular ferries sail from there to several Greek islands that are linked by further ferries to Turkey.
Visitor Highlights
Tourism in Turkey has experienced rapid growth in the last twenty years and constitutes an important part of the economy. The Turkish Ministry of Culture and Tourism currently promotes Turkish tourism under the Turkey Home name. In 2013, 37.8 million foreign visitors arrived in Turkey, which ranked as the 6th most popular tourism destination in the world; they contributed $27.9 billion to Turkey's revenues. In 2012, 15% of the tourists were from Germany, 11% from Russia, 8% from the United Kingdom, 5% from Bulgaria, 4% each from Georgia, the Netherlands and Iran, 3% from France, 2% each from the United States and Syria, and 40% from other countries.
Turkey has 15 UNESCO World Heritage Sites, such as the "Historic Areas of Istanbul", the "Göreme National Park and the Rock Sites of Cappadocia", the "Neolithic Site of Çatalhöyük", "Hattusa: the Hittite Capital", the "Archaeological Site of Troy", "Pergamon and its Multi-Layered Cultural Landscape", "Hierapolis – Pamukkale", "Mount Nemrut (Nemrut Dağ)", "Ephesus", and "Archaeological Site of Ani"; and 49 World Heritage Sites in tentative list, such as the archaeological sites or historic urban centres of Göbekli Tepe, Gordion, Aphrodisias, Perga, Lycia, Sagalassos, Aizanoi, Zeugma, Harran and Sanliurfa, Mardin, Konya and Alanya.
Turkey hosts two of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World: the Mausoleum in Halicarnassus and the Temple of Artemis in Ephesus.
Every meal is a barbeque opportunity. Whether it is Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner. So if you love a grilled meal, then Turkey is your place to be. Try to immerse yourself with their local cuisines and they would definitely help you out on what are their a-must-try-dish.
Find a Dentist in Turkey.