Ilona Kauremszky
Imagine this: somewhere over the Atlantic, as cabin lights dim, you press the recline button and let anticipation take over. Wrapped in a soft blanket in business class aboard one of the most sophisticated aircraft in the sky, this is travel at its most refined. From YYZ, in a 10-hour nonstop glide to İstanbul, you arrive at a gateway that has shaped empires and continues to seduce the modern world. Istanbul is an ancient metropolis located at the crossroads of where East meets West and Europe and Asia face one another across the legendary Bosphorus Strait.
When flying with Turkish Airlines in Business class to get there, your clients can also expect fine dining at 30,000 ft. with a brand new menu of gourmet dishes prepared by Flying Chefs, professional chefs who cook, oversee food preparation and serve gourmet meals.
In the past few months, travel advisors have been busy participating on numerous FAM visits to Türkiye from the likes of Collette’s 9-day Treasures of Türkiye to Trevello Travel Group’s Chairman’s Circle Advisors of top-performing, high-achieving travel professionals, giving each FAM tour participant personal discoveries to exclusive extraordinary encounters only evident in Türkiye.
Hosted by the Türkiye Tourism Promotion and Development Agency (GoTürkiye) and Turkish Airlines, Baxter Media took part in a two-city cultural immersion tour last month. The journey started in Istanbul before boarding another Turkish Airlines flight—this one only just over an hour long—to Konya, a lesser-known city that reveals an entirely different side of Türkiye.
Istanbul: A Global Icon, Best Experienced When the Crowds Thin
In Sultanahmet Square, the ancient Hippodrome leads seamlessly into the grandeur of the Hagia Sophia Grand Mosque, a 1,488-year old place of worship, where Byzantine mosaics and Ottoman calligraphy co-exist. The adjacent Hagia Sophia Experience Museum, situated in a historic building, has a 30-minute audio-visual installation led by a guide on a two-level tour that offers a condensed overview of Byzantine and Ottoman history using a 21st century invention. Everyone wears audio headsets for this hi-tech animation production. It’s ideal for small group bookings.
Across the square, six minarets pierce the sky as the Blue Mosque rises. Worshippers and visitors stream inside single file to view rare artifacts as they stand beneath this wondrous dome. Another nearby must-see landmark is the subterranean marvel, the Yerebatan (Basilica) Cistern, which delivers an otherworldly atmosphere. Columns mirror in still water, Medusa heads half-hidden. Instagram folks are snapping selfies as groups trickle atop the raised steel walkway.
Between landmarks, be sure to sample Istanbul’s culinary favourites. It could be as simple as a doner eaten standing at a street stall. As evening settles in, we enjoyed dining at the Michelin-recommended Ruby in Ortaköy, a popular waterfront perch from which to view the passing ships sailing beneath the illuminated Bosphorus Bridge, twinkling for all to see. While over at Galataport, dining alfresco at Muutto Restaurant high above the Bosphorus, ferries stitch Europe and Asia together in ribbons of light.
To fill out the itinerary, every travel advisor needs to include a true Istanbul shopping experience. A fabulous spot is the historic Spice Bazaar to sense the intoxicating aromas. Or explore a network of indoor vendors that line a kaleidoscopic of lanes at the Grand Bazaar. It’s there where winter shopping is on steroids.
The following day unfolds through Galata’s historic streets and onto the pulse of İstiklal Avenue, a vibrant pedestrian-friendly hub in the Beyoğlu district. From the Galata Tower, the city reveals its full sweep of domes, waterways and rooftops tumbling toward the horizon. Nearby, St. Antuan Church, the largest Catholic church in İstanbul, stands as a reminder of the capital’s Catholic and Levantine roots, reinforcing Istanbul’s enduring multicultural identity.
Lunch at Michelin-recommended BİZ Istanbul, on the seventh floor of the futuristic concert hall, Atatürk Cultural Centre, confirms what travel advisors already know: Istanbul is a fully realized global capital.
Selling Istanbul Off-Season
Fewer crowds, better access to landmarks, and stronger value on hotels and air make winter and shoulder season ideal for culturally focused clients.
Beyond the Gateway: Konya and the Power of Going Further
A short, seamless one-hour flight shifts the energy completely. İstanbul’s cosmopolitan centre fades into Konya’s calm.
Located at the heart of Anatolia, many travellers visit Konya as a quick stop on their way to Cappadocia, but the city deserves more attention. Konya is considered the spiritual heart of Anatolia and the cradle of Sufism, a destination that aligns perfectly with today’s appetite for slow travel, creativity, and meaning. This is where advisors could elevate the itinerary expanding their programs.
In nearby Sille Village, we step into Aya Eleni Church, commissioned by the mother of Emperor Constantine the Great, during her pilgrimage to the Holy Land in 327 AD.
Then comes Çatalhöyük, the 9,000-year-old Neolithic settlement, a UNESCO World Heritage Site that reframes civilization itself. There are no palaces here, no monuments to power, only layers of humanity which were uncovered in 1958. Today, clients can visit a new visitor centre to view artifacts of Neolithic treasures, and simulations that show how these ancient people adapted and survived on this semi-arid Konya Plain.
Why advisors should add Konya to an itinerary in Türkiye
Konya differentiates an Istanbul itinerary with spirituality, archaeology, and slow travel, making it ideal for culturally curious, well-travelled clients.
Craft, Creativity, and the Living Spirit of Rumi
At the Irfan Civilization Research Center (IRFA), we join a felt-making workshop led by master felt artisan Yunus Girgiç, whose work has been commissioned by top film studios. “Felt making teaches patience,” says the artist and father of two. His own father, recognized by UNESCO and the Turkish Ministry of Culture in 2010 as one of seven ‘Living Treasures’ for his exceptional skills in traditional felt-making, famously crafted a tall felt hat for then Prince Charles (now King Charles III). Equally absorbing is an ebru paper marbling workshop, a tradition where water, pigment and intention merge into floating art. Both workshops are available with English translators but require advanced booking, an important planning note for advisors.
The cultural journey culminates at the Mevlana Museum more familiarly known as Rumi’s tomb, where hundreds are gathering at his shrine during our visit. The 13th– century Sufi mystic and Islamic scholar whose verses explore divine love and the soul’s longing for union with God has indeed captured worldwide followers of the Mevlevi Sufi Order. Regarded as one of Türkiye’s most important spiritual and cultural sites, the museum visit also includes Mevlevi dervish exhibits of former dervish cells displaying original manuscripts, calligraphy, and personal artifacts. Be sure to wander past a serene inner courtyard by the iconic turquoise Green Dome of Konya.
Every December the city celebrates the death of Mevlâna Celaleddin Rumî by honouring his legacy in a vibrant 10-day commemoration that culminates on December 17th –the date of Rumi’s passing in 1273 –with a grand Mevlevi Sema whirling ceremony that draws global visitors. Inside the Mevlana Culture Center, a full-house witnessed Şeb-i Arus, marking the 752nd anniversary of Rumi’s death. It is considered a wedding night with the divine. The whirling dervishes move in hypnotic precision, a meditation in motion that stills the mind and stirs the soul.
It is the kind of experience your clients will not forget.
Turkish Airlines: Elevating the Journey
Turkish Airlines continues to rank among the world’s leading carriers, and its business class experience reinforces that reputation. Spacious lie-flat seats, refined cabin design, and attentive service create a calm, premium environment ideal for long-haul travel.
The airline’s celebrated Flying Chef program delivers restaurant-quality meals inspired by Turkish and international cuisine.
Business class passengers enjoy elevated amenity kits, plush bedding, expansive inflight entertainment, and access to award-winning lounges—most notably in Istanbul, where the flagship lounge offers gourmet dining, quiet zones, and shower facilities.
For travel advisors, Turkish Airlines is a strategic partner, operating direct services from Toronto (YYZ), Montreal (YUL), and Vancouver (YVR), with seamless onward connections through Istanbul to more than 300 destinations worldwide.
The airline offers commissionable fares through GDS and preferred tour operator partners, with regular promotions, particularly in shoulder and off-season periods. Advisors can also access dedicated webinar training programs and trade engagement initiatives to deepen product knowledge and premium cabin confidence.
