The lure of Turkish destinations such as Bodrum, Dalaman and Antalya is so strong that it could encourage some foreign visitors to relocate to the country permanently, a market expert has suggested.

According to the Association of British Travel Agents, Turkey will be the fourth most popular package holiday destination in 2008, behind Spain, France and Greece.

Rhiannon Williamson, director of international lifestyle magazine ShelterOffshore.com, said that there is a correlation between tourism and property investment that suggests that a rising number of people will be relocating in Turkey in the coming years.

“Some people say that this year’s holidaymaker is next year’s holiday home buyer, because many tourists who visit a new destination and really fall in love with it also have a strong desire to spend more time there,” she said.

“This means that those who visit Turkey this year may well return to look at property for sale. With current estimates that 25 million visitors will arrive in Turkey in 2008, this does indeed bode exceptionally well for the property market in 2008-09.”