Pleasure-seeking humans are invariably drawn to sunny skies and welcoming climes. Which would explain the absence of fellow tourists in Turkey when I visit in February, writes Nicola Heath.

Possessed of a vast history and sitting at the border between Europe and Asia, Istanbul, Turkey exists in popular imagination as both exotic and cosmopolitan. It’s a place where you can feel ok to be a tourist because Istanbul is a city that has attracted tourists since day dot.