Turkish Airlines, the national carrier of Turkey, hosted a group of major travel agents from Saudi Arabia on a tour to Spain’s coastal city of Bilbao, further highlighting the global carrier’s extensive European network and the award-winning services of Europe’s Best Airline.

For the first time, and in partnership with Spanish Tourism Authorities, Turkish Airlines hosted nine Riyadh-based travel agents on a five-day familiarization trip to Bilbao to discover the tourism highlights of the Basque country and the appeal of the destination to Saudi tourists.

Ersen Engin, GM for Turkish Airlines in Riyadh, said: “To further strengthen our relations with the travel trade we continue to host familiarization trips that not only showcase our extensive worldwide network, but also our upcoming travel campaigns that have been specifically tailored for the Gulf and Saudi market.

“Building on last year’s passenger growth over the winter season, we will be hosting agencies for our Winter in Turkey campaign, which highlights our seven city network in Saudi Arabia. With a flying distance of less than five hours, Istanbul is an increasingly popular hub to experience Turkey’s spa tourism, winter sports and nature holidays.”

With over 700 years of history, Bilbao is a magnificent heritage city surrounded by scenic mountains that overlook the Bay of Biscay. A major contemporary landmark attraction, visited by the group, was the Guggenheim Museum, an architectural masterpiece housing modern and contemporary art.

Views of the city were admired from Mount Artxand. The participants also witnessed the art of making cheese, including Idiazabal, one of the world’s finest produced in the region. In additional to hotel visits, the group visited Getxo, which features the Suspension bridge, the rural San Sebastian, and in Torre Loizaga, marveled at a collection of 43 Rolls Royces.