The seaside town of Kaş, situated between Antalya and Dalaman on the Turkish Riviera is a true gem – enchanting, captivating and as picture-perfect as a film set. Hardly surprising, then, that the area does indeed boast its fair share of links to the literary and film worlds.

For many, it came as no surprise that Istanbul, Turkey, was designated a European Capital of Culture for 2010. Literally straddling the busy waterway dividing East and West and the continents of Europe and Asia, Istanbul is a city as storied as they come, shaped by great legends, both fictional and factual, and, as some would say, ‘a strangely harmonious clash of cultures’.

The port city of Marmaris, set in southwest Turkey, is one of many of the country’s summer hotspots. Although little remains of the original fishing village, further down the Datça Peninsula, there are nine traditional villages found on the peninsula, all inhabited by people whose livelihoods depend on local resources. Grassroots projects are now also bringing travellers together with the local community, connections that are helping to preserve local traditions.

Our approach to sustainability in tourism is a holistic one. We don’t believe that you can develop one thing and neglect others. For example, you can’t create a beach paradise with a two-month-long tourism season and forget the lives of the original year-round inhabitants. We think such projects destroy historic, human and natural resources.