Arab tourists are flocking to Istanbul to see the filming venues of their favorite soap opera, says AFP. The Noor series that aired on the Saudi MBC satellite channel has brought an increase in Arab tourists to Turkey amidst a decrease in overall tourism due to global financial woes.

Noor features a blonde, blue-eyed lead actor and characters, all Turkish but given Arab names to fit with the show's audience. The show is also dubbed in local Arabic dialect depending on the country where it is broadcast.

"All in Jordan watch Noor and Mohannad, just everybody," exclaims Bacher Al-Madjali, a Jordanian tourist in his 50's, referring to the main characters of the series.

Statistics demonstrate an impressive trend: while the overall number of foreign tourists fell by one percent in the first half of 2009, the number of Arab tourists rose, ranging from a 21-percent increase in visitors from the United Arab Emirates to a 51 percent increase in Moroccan tourists.

Cem Polatoglu, owner of Baracuda travel agency, which specializes in the Arab market, has doubled his clientele. "Previously, Arab tourists were interested in mosques and thermal baths," he told AFP. "No one is interested in thermal cure any more... They all want to visit the mansions where the series are shot and dine in restaurants they've seen on TV."

Ayman Maslamani, the Arab manager of the Istanbul-based Heysem travel agency, believes the current influx of tourists is due more to the charming Istanbul scenery depicted in the soap operas than their melodramatic plots.

"Previously, Arabs did not know much about Turkey. They imagined a backward, filthy country, less developed than richer Arab states," he explains.

According to BalkanTravellers, Noor has made Turkey a popular wedding destination as well. People from Lebanon, Jordan and Iran want to say their vows in the mansions featured in the series.

According to Polatoglu, about a dozen travel agencies are now offering sightseeing tours that specifically include filming locations.

Arabs comprise only a small part of the all foreign tourists in Turkey, but the industry is hopeful the percentage will continue to expand.