Transportation Around the city
Cable Cars
Istanbul has to cable cars, with first ferrying passengers from Eyüp to the highland areas, while the other cable car lifts passengers across the valley between Beyoğlu and Elmadağ.
Cars/Taxis
The city has approximately 20,000 taxis powered by clean-burning liquefied natural gas that plies in the streets of Istanbul (Turkey Travel Planner, 2013). Visitors often complain of mistreatment from taxi drivers who charge exorbitant prices after failing to turn on taximeter. The total that a typical taxi can carry is four passengers including the driver, even though most settle for three. However, some large cars can carry up to five passengers and luggage. There are also travel agencies that offer private transfer services from the airport to the city for travelers who want private cars.
Railways
Plans are underway to complete and open a rail connection between Europe and Istanbul via a tunnel beneath the Bosporus by October 2013 (Turkey Travel Planner, 2013). This will greatly change travel routes as passengers in Istanbul because this is the first time passengers will travel without having to transfer via ferryboat. Construction of more underway will make it easier for passengers to Istanbul’s transport network.
Buses
Even though most people prefer other means of transportation, buses are useful for longer trips and major site in and out of the city (Turkey Travel Planner, 2013). Buses are rather slow, especially in the city’s morning and evening rashes. Passengers must buy tokens before boarding a bus because you cannot pay in cash.
Ferry Boats
Istanbul has four major ferryboat operators plying different routes. Smaller ferries serve shorter routes while some ferries major on serving tourists on holidays and excursions (Turkey Travel Planner, 2013). Ferryboats offer the cheapest means to travel around Istanbul and other parts of Europe (Turkey Travel Planner, 2013).
Trams
Istanbul has a number of tramp lines to transport passengers to different locations within Istanbul. Passengers can use tram to commute between Sultanahmet and Atatürk Airport.
Tourism Rate
In 2011, Turkey received 31.5 million international tourist arrivals, contributing a total of $23 billion in tourism receipts (Turkish Tourism, 2013). The credit firm, MasterCard named Istanbul the world’s fifth most popular tourist destination in 2012.
English Language
Turkey ranks 12th in the world in English language with approximately 8,100,000 people speaking English (NationMaster, 2013). Visitors to Istanbul will not experience language problems because many young people speak English in Turkey. In addition, announcements in subways, railway stations, and other public places are in both Turkish and English. Even though you should not expect much, but compared to other countries eastern of Europe, it is slightly easier to communicate (NationMaster, 2013).
Economics
The economic growth rate of Turkey dropped sharply to 2.2% in 2012 due to weak demand and spillover from the European debt crisis. According to Turkish statistics agency, Istanbul recorded a GDP of $817.298 billion and GDP per capital of $14,853.
Population
Turkey has a population of 79,749,461 million people (Trading Economics, 2013). Istanbul is the largest city in Turkey with a population of 13,624,240 as of July 20112. The annual population growth rate for Istanbul is 3.3%. The median age in the city is 28.8 years indicating that the majority of the population is younger (Trading Economics, 2013).
Spending power
The purchasing power of consumers in Istanbul is high while that of Manila is average. The local purchasing power of consumers in Istanbul is 63.64 (Trading Economics, 2013).
References:
IndexMundi, 2013. Turkey Demographics Profile 2013.http://www.indexmundi.com/turkey/demographics_profile.html [Accessed 24 April 24, 2013].
NationMaster, 2013. Language Statistics. http://www.nationmaster.com/graph/lan_eng_pop_tot-language-english-speaking-population-total [Accessed 24 April 24, 2013].
Trading Economics, 2013. Turkey GDP Growth Rate http://www.tradingeconomics.com/turkey/gdp-growth [Accessed 24 April 24, 2013].
Turkey Travel Planner, 2013. Public Transport in Istanbul. [online] Available at:
Turkish Tourism, 2013. General Tourism Statistics About Turkey.
