'Turkish Night' held on Bosphorus tours captivate tourists

Emre Eser - ISTANBUL

Lately, “Turkish Night” events, featuring many colorful entertainment shows, held on the Bosphorus tours in Istanbul, are the center of attention of tourists from all around the world.

For years, tours organized by boats in the Bosphorus targeting mainly Arab tourists have been an important source of income for the country, but the recent shift in the tourist demographic taking part in the entertainment shows in the ships are remarkable, as the tours now host people from many different countries.

On a ship departing from Kabataş on Friday nights, a “Turkish Night” event is being held where the entrance costs 70 euros, corresponding to around 1,760 Turkish Liras, and 95 percent of the audience profile is made up of foreign tourists.

The entertainment on the ship, which departs at 9:00 p.m., starts with the most popular Turkish melodies, such as “Şımarık” by Tarkan, a song that has gained worldwide recognition, and tourists are seen getting up from their tables to start dancing.

In addition, the dance team consisting of three men and three women perform traditional dances from different regions of Türkiye. There is also a whirling dervish show in the quiet moments between the dances, followed by Caucasian dances and knife shows.

The entertainment ends with a belly dancer performance. Tourists are usually seen generously tipping the belly dancers.

A special photographer for people who want to have their photos taken at night accompanies the audience, and the photographs are sold as albums after the event.

The meal served on the tours start with a simple appetizer platter. Tourists are given three options for the main course, and the meal ends with two slices of baklava, the signature dessert of the country. The menu also includes unlimited alcoholic beverages.

Most of the tourists spend approximately 100 Euros per person during the event. Many of them get off the ship around 11:00 p.m.

Jeremy King and his family, American tourists who had travelled to Istanbul from North Carolina for the Champions League final, told local media that they had paid 350 Euros to get on the tour.

“We are a family of five coming from America. We came to Türkiye for the first time for the UEFA Champions League final. We thought it would be super fun. The show was delightful, and the wine was delicious. It was fun, we made new friends,” King said.