MARMARIS, in southwest Turkey, is a particularly popular destination for many of the 1.8 million Britons who travel to the country each year.

The resort, one of the nation’s most Westernised cities, has a large number of bars, restaurants and nightclubs, many of which are based along Bar Street, where discos stay open until 4am.

It is the site of Turkey’s largest yacht marina, is popular with those wanting to charter a vessel, and is a base for scuba diving. The resort also retains some traditional charm, including a clutch of authentic Turkish bathhouses.

Outside the city, which sits at the base of mountains covered with pine trees, are a number of fishing villages with wooden houses built in traditional Ottoman style.

Tourism is one of the country’s largest currency generators although the industry has been shaken after terrorist attacks in recent years.

The blasts came only two days after two bombs exploded in the southern Turkish city of Adana, injuring four people. On August 14 three people were injured in the Sultanahmet area of Istanbul.

In July last year Helyn Bennett, a 21-year-old bride-to-be from Co Durham, was among five killed when a bomb ripped through the bus in which she was travelling at the resort of Kusadasi.

In November 2003 terrorists attacked the British Consulate General and the headquarters of the HSBC bank in Istanbul. Roger Short, the British Consul General, was one of those killed in the blast, for which al-Qaeda was blamed.

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