Advertising and Digital Promotion Activities

Digital impressions in February totalled 495 million

The TurkAegean 2, Coming Soon, and Cappadocia commercials, along with the İstanbul is the New Cool campaign’s “Shopping in İstanbul is the New Cool”, “Taste in İstanbul is the New Cool”, and “Art in İstanbul is the New Cool” were broadcast on TV in more than 200 countries. In digital media, thirteen commercials were broadcast across more than 200 countries, reaching 495 million views.

Events and Organizations

TGA hosted 234 people in February

In 34 events organized across 23 cities in Türkiye, the Türkiye Tourism Promotion and Development Agency (TGA) hosted 234 people from 25 countries, of whom 34 were tour operators, and 200 were press members, influencers or opinion leaders. The highlights of February’s hospitality events and other organizations are listed below:

Prominent social media figures from Croatia, Serbia and Romania visited Türkiye between 30 January and 3 February at the invitation of TGA. The influencer group, hosted in Bursa within the scope of a program prepared to provide local experiences, stayed in the historical villages in the city. The guests toured the historical and cultural areas of Bursa and its surroundings and also enjoyed different regional and local dishes. Guest influencers produced considerable content on the places they visited and their local experiences and shared it via social media.

A group of press members and opinion leaders from England, Georgia, Poland and the United Arab Emirates visited Türkiye at the invitation of the TGA. They were hosted in İstanbul between 31 January and 3 February. Within the scope of the hospitality program, themed ‘Contemporary İstanbul-Art Tours to İstanbul’, guests visited many museums, galleries and art centres in İstanbul, where the heart of culture and art beats. The group also visited the historical and touristic sites of the city and received information on the city’s ancient history.

The group consisting of British and Austrian guests was hosted by TGA in Türkiye between 5-14 February 2023 for a winter sports and tourism-themed program. The invited group, including a journalist, an action photographer and a travel platform manager, received detailed information about the different products offered by Kayseri, Erzurum and Rize in winter tourism. Guests also participated in various winter sports on the tracks. The invitees who also visited İstanbul on their travels to Türkiye toured the historical and touristic places of the city.

Influential names from England, Italy and Poland visited Türkiye at the invitation of TGA and were hosted in different cities with a spa and wellness-themed program. During the event, which took place between 6-10 February, the 12-person group enjoyed wellness experiences such as spa treatments, thermal pools and Turkish baths at thermal facilities and health clubs in İstanbul, Sakarya, Yalova and Bursa. During their visits to Bursa, the group also participated in winter sports and activities at Uludağ. They shared their days and experiences in Türkiye with their followers via their social media accounts, creating an array of content about the places they were hosted and their activities.

A group of journalists visiting our country from France, Poland, Italy and Germany at the invitation of the TGA had an exceptional experience of Türkiye in Kars and Ardahan. The press members, who were hosted between 13-17 February in these two cities of Eastern Anatolia that contain beautiful treasures, visited historical sites such as the Kars and Ardahan Castles (Kars ve Ardahan Kaleleri), the Ani Ruins (Ani Harabeleri), the Kümbet Mosque (Kümbet Cami) and the Stone Bridge (Taş Köprü) within the scope of the program. The journalists also experienced walking on the Çıldır Lake, which is frozen in the winter months and sampled regional and local flavours such as Kars cheese varieties, Kars honey, kete (flaky pastry), pişi (fried rolls), and katmer (crisp flaky pastry), among the most well-known delicacies of the regional cuisine.

Within the scope of TGA’s gastronomy and wellness-themed program, journalists from the USA were hosted in İstanbul and Sakarya between 13-18 February. During the program specially created for the group, the invitees visited many different places where they could see the historical and modern face of İstanbul. The guests sampled İstanbul’s famous street food within the gastronomy theme and participated in a cooking workshop with a Michelin-starred chef. In the wellness-themed portion of the trip, journalists enjoyed various experiences, from trekking to yoga in Sakarya.

TGA hosted journalists from Uzbekistan, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Saudi Arabia in Türkiye between 14-18 February in a program called ‘Mosques from İstanbul to Edirne’. The guests visited the Hagia Sophia Mosque, Topkapı Sofa Mosque, Sancaklar Mosque, Taksim Mosque and Çamlıca Mosque in İstanbul, and the Selimiye Mosque in Edirne. They received detailed information on the historical and architectural features of all mosques.

İstanbul and Antalya host the decision-makers of India’s leading companies
Managers of the meeting and event departments of India’s leading companies and journalists from the sector press were invited to Türkiye by the TGA. The guest group was hosted in İstanbul and Antalya between 18-23 February. The guests visited Türkiye’s most exclusive hotels, congress and exhibition centres, which can host events of all sizes, in Antalya and İstanbul, and received detailed information about the services provided there. During their trip to Türkiye, guests also visited the historical, touristic and cultural sites of İstanbul and Antalya.

Famous writer Kobi Yamada met with young readers on the signing day at Rami Library
New York Times best-selling children’s book author Kobi Yamada, whose award-winning books have been translated into numerous languages, came to Türkiye for a special signing day organized in cooperation with TGA and the General Directorate of Libraries. On the signing day, held at İstanbul Rami Library on 21 February, Kobi Yamada met with young readers and answered their questions. At the end of the event, he signed books for his readers. He also visited the historical and touristic regions of the city during his stay in İstanbul

TGA invited influential social media names from Poland, France, England and Germany to a program prepared to promote especially the cultural and gastronomic values of İstanbul and Kayseri. The influencers, who attended the event in Türkiye between 20-24 February, enjoyed various experiences in İstanbul and Kayseri throughout the trip. Visiting the historical and cultural sites of both cities, the group sampled delicious dishes of Anatolian cuisine. The influencers shared photos and videos of the visit via their social media accounts and information about their Türkiye experience.

Rami Library welcomed the Eastern European journalists
The Rami Library, which opened its doors to its visitors as the largest library in İstanbul at the beginning of February, hosted members of the press visiting Türkiye at the invitation of TGA between 22-25 February. The group of journalists from Bulgaria, Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina toured the entire Library and received detailed information on the history of the building, its restoration and its transformation into a library. During their visit to Türkiye, the invited journalists also visited many historical, touristic and cultural sites in İstanbul and tasted various flavours of Turkish cuisine.

The privileges Türkiye offers to golfers shared with Golf Plaisir officials
TGA hosted the officials of Golf Plaiser, the leading golf tourism operator of the Scandinavian market, in Antalya on 23 February. The invited group from Finland and Sweden visited golf facilities and courses in Antalya and were informed in detail about the opportunities and privileges offered to amateur and professional golfers in Türkiye within the scope of golf tourism.

Palandöken and Ovit host journalists from the Dutch Ski Federation
Press members working under the auspices of the Dutch Ski Federation came to Türkiye at the invitation of the TGA. The journalists, who were hosted at Erzurum Palandöken Ski Centre and Rize Ovit Mountain between 25 February and 1 March, experienced the privileges offered by Türkiye in the field of winter tourism. They also received detailed information from the authorities regarding the facilities and participated in various activities and winter sports, especially skiing.

International Fairs and Events

The Türkiye stand attracts great attention from visitors at the SATTE Fair

The SATTE Fair, which has long attracted attention as South Asia’s leading tourism and travel exhibition, was held between 9-11 February 2023 this year. At the Turkish booth, organised under the coordination of the TGA and the New Delhi Culture and Promotion Consultancy, Turkish Airlines and 17 sector representatives took part as sub-participants. Numerous visitors and professionals visited the promotion area to obtain information about Türkiye, which has an important place in the Indian market and also received detailed information from the authorities regarding Türkiye’s different tourism products.

All aspects of Türkiye explained to Israeli tourism professionals

The IMTM (International Mediterranean Tourism Market) Tel Aviv Fair was held between 14-15 February 2023 in Tel Aviv, the capital of Israel. It hosted tens of thousands of visitors and tourism professionals from throughout the world. At the Türkiye booth, organised under the coordination of the TGA and the Tel Aviv Culture and Promotion Consultancy, Turkish Airlines and ten sector representatives took part as sub-participants. During the Fair, tourism professionals and fair visitors came together at the Türkiye stand. On February 15, a special workshop was held for Israel’s most influential travel agencies and tour operators, during which detailed information was provided regarding Türkiye’s tourism products and potential.

SITE Global Conference to be held in Türkiye in 2024

The TGA participated in the SITE Global Conference, one of the most important conferences in the sector, which took place in New York, USA between 17-20 February this year. During the three-day event, one-on-one meetings were held with industry professionals and leading institutions in the field. At the luncheon held on February 19, attended by 750 sector representatives from around the world, an opening speech was presented by Reyhan Özgür, Consul General of the Republic of Türkiye in New York, and Elif Balcı Fisunoğlu, TGA Deputy General Manager of Tourism Operations and Development. At the 19 February luncheon, it was also announced that the SITE Global Conference will be held in İstanbul in 2024.

Türkiye at Serbia’s largest tourism fair ITTFA Belgrade

ITTFA Belgrade, the largest tourism fair of Serbia, was held in Belgrade between 23-26 February 2023 and attended by Turkish Airlines and ten sector representatives as sub-participants, organised in coordination with the TGA and the Belgrade Culture and Promotion Consultancy. During the Fair, while promoting Türkiye’s tourism values and products, including nature, history, culture-arts and gastronomy, one-on-one meetings were held with numerous professionals.

Provinces and Destination Promotion Activities

A total of 340 meetings have been held to date

Within the scope of the Provincial Promotion and Development Program, which aims to promote the provinces and sub-destinations more effectively in the national and international arena, Osmaniye, Adıyaman, and Gaziantep held third board meetings, and Isparta held its sixth board meeting. Within the Provincial Promotion and Development Program’s scope, a total of 340 meetings took place including February 2023.

Digital promotion activities carried out in the provincial social media accounts opened under the roof of @gezsen in Türkiye and @go abroad continue. As of February 2023, a total of 1,454 stories and posts were shared by 20 influencers on the Gezsen Instagram accounts of 11 provinces, while a total of 50.1 million views were obtained from influencer accounts.