Last week the Turkish city of Istanbul placed their bid for the 2020 Olympics and Paralympics. Coincidentally after they placed their bid, the New York Times Placed Istanbul as one of the top 10 Destinations for the year 2013. This can only help the Turks with their bid which will be decided later this fall.  

Istanbul; 15 January 2013: Istanbul has been ranked as one of the world’s top 10 tourist destinations for 2013 in a New York Times report issued this week (http://nyti.ms/WPpICx), underlining the city’s pledge to provide an incomparable backdrop for the 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

The news follows last week’s launch of the Istanbul 2020 bid concept based on three pillars: technical excellence; an incomparable Games backdrop; and a profound legacy impact for Turkey and the Olympic Movement. Istanbul’s reputation as a “vibrant mega-city spanning two continents, more than three civilisations and eight millennia” (pg.1 of the Candidature File) was reinforced in the New York Times report, which describes some of Istanbul’s historic quarters as “going through a renaissance at warp speed”.

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