The Guide Istanbul - January/February 2020

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The end of the year does not impact us as strongly as the end of the decade. For Istanbul, the last 10 years were a rollercoaster ride from peak international interest and investment boom, to economic uncertainty and sudden change, tied together with one constant—neverending human flow into the city. Those who have lived in Istanbul throughout this decade might dare to believe they have truly seen it all.

Yet, a new moment in time has just arrived, and from where we’re standing it looks no less exciting. Starting from our own backyard, The Guide Istanbul welcomes the Lunar Year with the first Chinese edition of the Turkey Travel Guide. Reaching out to a market that’s impossible to oversee, our team has embraced this new challenge by learning another way to explain the city to curious minds. Visitor expectations, however, are not limited to one group only. The mayor is ready to welcome travelers from around the world, while the residents are invited to take an active role in his long-term masterplan.

Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu is only one of 20 names we have chosen in our list of people to follow in 2020, who have led their communities, their city, and in many cases, the country, to a new decade by setting their own example. Following a creative spark, a willingness to help others, thinking beyond oneself, or simply doing their job as well as one can, their cases proved to be enough to make a lasting difference for everyone. Let their stories inspire you to turn the next ten years into a time of real action, replacing wishful thinking and New Year’s resolutions that we never keep, with a process of holistic creation.