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Cumhuriyet Bayramı (Republic Day) is the national day of Turkey, celebrated on 29th of October. On this day in 1923, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk declared that Turkey was henceforth a republic and its official name was Türkiye Cumhuriyeti ("the Republic of Turkey").

We continue to celebrate the National Days of our member Nations in 2021 by introducing one of our staff members and unveiling some facts that are usually not found in any travel guides.

Çay is an important part of Turkish culture, and is the most commonly consumed hot drink, despite the country's long history of coffee consumption. Offering tea to guests is a fundamental part of the legendary Turkish hospitality. Turkey has the highest per capita tea consumption in the world, at 3.5kg per person per year, or almost four glasses a day, followed by the United Kingdom (2.1 kg).