Turkey as a Tourist Destination

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Introduction

Turkey, as a tourist destination, offers a mixture of Western and Asian influences in the culture, architecture and cuisine, as well as the great historic sites in combination with a beautiful natural environment. Geographically, the country is located in Western Asia and Southern Europe, which had an impact on its culture that combines Western features with those of the East. This state was ranked as the sixth most popular tourist destination in the world, attracting more than 32 million tourists in 2017 (Hurriyet Daily News, 2018). Due to the importance that tourism has for Turkey’s economy, the government invests in developing infrastructure suitable for tourists.

Turkey is a heterogeneous country, with most people identifying as Turks by nationality and accepting Islam as their religion. The population in 2019 was estimated at more than 83 million, and the majority of inhabitants are Turks, with a minor portion of approximately 15% declaring themselves as Kurds (Egresi, 2016). The Kurdish-Turkish conflict is one of the reasons why Turkey may be viewed by tourists as a dangerous site to visit, considering that this conflict has been ongoing since the 1970s.

Major cities are Ankara, the capital and Istanbul, a city that connects the Asian and European parts of Turkey. Most of the main cities are ports, connected to one of the seas – Black, Marmara, Aegean, and Mediterranean (Seas of Turkey, no date). This report will present an assessment of Turkey as a tourist destination, including all of the leading natural and historical sites, the culture, political situation, accommodation and the social environment.

Political Map

In terms of politics, the country’s location in the East and Europe plays an essential role in the relationships that Turkey maintains with other states. Due to its location, Turkey is a transcontinental state (Egresi, 2016). Most importantly, only 4% of the state’s land is located in Europe. However, this connection to Europe allows Turkey to attract tourists from Russia, Germany, United Kingdom, Bulgaria, and other European countries.

A peninsula implies that the majority of the territory is linked with water, a sea or an ocean, while there is a connection with the land as well. The majority of Turkey’s territory is located on the Anatolian peninsula, surrounded by Turkish Straits (Egresi, 2016). For Turkey, the part of the state on the Anatolian peninsula is, where the capital, Ankara, is located. This peninsula itself is located in Western Asia. The smaller part of Turkey linked to Europe is called East Thrace. The neighboring states of Turkey include Greece, Bulgaria, Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Syria, and Iraq (Egresi, 2016). The country has access to the Black Sea, Mediterranean Sea, and the Aegean Sea. The entrance to the sea allows Turkey to maintain ports, for example, in Izmir, Mersin and other cities.

Natural Environment

The two significant features of Turkey’s natural environment are a combination of coastal land and mountains. Examples include mountain Babadag and Turkish Riviera, two distinctly different sites for tourists, one suitable for active tourism and the other is a comfortable vacation destination. Babadag is the name of the mountain located in the Southwestern part of Turkey, which is a part of Muğla Province. The elevation of this mountain is 1,969 meters, and it is composed of limestone (Egresi, 2016). Near this mountain, there is a valley, which separates it from another high mountain Karatepe.

In contrast to the calm environment of the mountains, Turkish Riviera, which also offers a beautiful natural cite is a more well-renounced beach resort located near Antalya. It is located on the coast of the Mediterranean sea. This is an ideal place for a resort, which offers a combination of beautiful natural resources, such as the sea and the coastline with comfortable and modern infrastructure.

Tourists would experience these natural environments differently. Turkish Riviera is a well-developed sea resort, which attracts many tourists from Europe. This means that the infrastructure there is established, there are a plethora of options for accommodation and transportation. Ury (1990) defines a tourist experience as a visual one, meaning that the central aspect of what a person expects to experience when traveling to another state is to see something visually pleasing, which is the ‘tourist gaze.’ Due to the fact that Turkey offers a combination of different natural resources, a tourist would be able to choose a place where the natural environment is unfamiliar to them. However, the natural environment of Turkey has something to offer to tourists that prefer an active type of holiday, opposing Ury’s view. As Perkins and Thomas (2001) argue, tourists look for ways of engaging their bodies more actively, and in Turkey, they can do this by choosing to walk up the mountains, stroll in the valleys, or swim in the sea of the Turkish Riviera. Turkeys natural environment is a primary nucleus that prompts tourists to visit this state.

Society in Turkey

The cultural features that a tourist would experience in this country are market by Turkey’s unique location between Europe and Asia. Another aspect of the ‘tourist gaze’ that Ury distinguishes is experiencing ordinary things done in an unusual matter, and Turkey is an ideal destination for such experience. Religion had played an essential role for the Turkish people before the state was declared as a republic. Currently, 99.8% follow Islam religious practices, while the remaining citizens are Christians (Egresi, 2016). Hence, for a non-Muslim tourist, Turkey would be an example of how ordinary things are done differently.

However, modern Turks are moving towards becoming an urbanized society, with more and more of the population living in large urban areas each year. For example, in the 70s, most people in Turkey live in rural areas, with some sources citing 60% of the population as rural (Egresi, 2016). Currently, 67% live in urban cities, mostly in Istanbul or cities located near the coast. Hence, the tourist experience in Turkey may be mixed, considering the political instability in this state. However, for a tourist from a Christian country, Turkey would be an excellent example of experiencing unfamiliar things. In addition, Robertson (2018) states that locals are friendly and like to chat, especially when visiting a Bazaar where salesman are always willing to engage in a conversation with a visitor.

Heritage Resources

Two primary heritage resources in Turkey include Sultan Ahmed Mosque and Hagia Sophia. According to Britannica (no date), ‘Several locations of cultural significance have been designated UNESCO World Heritage sites, including historic areas around Istanbul, the Great Mosque and Hospital of Divriği, the old Hittite capital of Hattusha, the remains at Nemrut Dağ and Xanthos-Letoon, the city of Safranbolu, and the archaeological site of Troy’. The Sultan Ahmed Mosque is recognised globally as a masterpiece of architecture and an important religious building. This Mosque shows tourists the history of Turkey as a sultanate state, which was controlled by an unelected sultan up to the 1910s (Britannica, no date). Hagia Sophia is perhaps among the best-known heritage resources in Turkey, which is a mosque built in 537. These resources help understand the history of this destination because, for example, Haggis Sophia was build during the period of Late Antiquity and preserved to this day. It was later converted into a Cathedral and then into a mosque. By visiting this cites, a tourist can experience the history of the Ottoman Empire and modern-day Turkey firsthand.

Turkey Post-War

Turkey participated in WWI, during which many important political changes took place, and remained neutral in WWII. After the WWI Allies’ forces occupied Turkey, which strengthened the national movement (Britannica, no date). After the expulsion of foreign troops in 1920, Turkey declared itself an independent state and the Treaty of Lausanne signed in 1923 meant the international recognition of Turkey as an independent state. As a result, the Republic of Turkey began to gain interest from international tourists.

The reforms, under the new government, also aimed to abolish the vision of Turkey as a religion-based state, taking a more Western approach. Turkey has become a significant tourist destination during the post-war period because the state became more open and democratic principles of the ruling were used by the local government. Hence, this allowed the business to develop, including the companies in the tourism industry. Arguably, political and economic factors played an essential role in local tourism post-WWI (Egresi, 2016). In terms of mass-tourism, Turkey’s location played a role in it becoming a popular destination for Europeans.

Factors Impacting Tourism

Arguably, Turkey has a lot to offer to tourists because they can choose a traditional vacation at the seaside in Antalya, or revert to sightseeing in the old cities of Istanbul and Ankara. Turkey has a rich and unique history since the state has been the Ottoman empire, where many remarkable historic sites were built, and because of its coastal location. However, when a tourist chooses a destination, they consider their own preferences, the experience they aim to gain with this journey and what a particular place has to offer.

Motivation

Motivation factors are a person’s desire to travel and visit a particular site. Some examples include escaping, satisfying one’s curiosity, social needs, or to pray as part of a person’s religious journey. Also, people may want to gain more knowledge, experience beauty or experience entertainment (Kozak and Kozak, 2019. For example, Muslim people may want to visit the great mosques in Turkey, such as the Hagia Sophia, as part of their spiritual journey. Those interested in history may choose to visit Troy, which is an example of the remains of an ancient civilisation. For contemporary people, escaping their daily routine by visiting the resort in the Turkish Riviera may be a sufficient motivational factor.

‘Push’ factors

Push factors for tourists are the ones that positively impact the perception of a destination and result in tourists choosing a particular palace for a visit. Kozak and Kozak (2019) define this term as any economic, technological, or other influences that ‘push’ an individual from their place of residence to another location. This can include a variety of things, from being able to choose appropriate accommodation to local traditions and social norms that differ from those a tourist is used to in their homeland.

As mentioned, the political situation in Turkey has intensified over the last several years. There have been some terrorist attacks, and the local President has initiated conflict with Russia and had arguments with the government of Germany over the refugees (Kozak and Kozak, 2019). This means that tourists may be scared to visit Turkey over a fear of being attached or being subjected to a local policy that they do not understand due to cultural and religious differences.

‘Pull’ factors

The concept of ‘pull’ factors should be reviewed in comparison with push factors because both concepts explain why people choose to travel to places but pull factors are the ones that are generated by the location, while push factors are internal (Kozak and Kozak, 2019). Hence, if a person wants to gain knowledge about ancient civilisations and visit Troy, the factor is a ‘push’. However, when one is choosing among several destinations, for example, Turkey and Egypt, the modern infrastructure of Turkey, a choice between a seaside resort and vacation in the mountains and a variety of accommodation options to choose from will ‘pull’ a person towards choosing Turkey.

In contrast, when evaluating different ‘pull’ factors, a tourist may consider the political environment in Turkey and perceive it as negative. One issue that contributed to the decrease in tourist visits to Turkey was the escalation of political violence and intensification of the relationship with Russia (Egresi, 2016). The state became more dangerous for outside visitors due to terrorist attacks. Moreover, the President of Turkey, Erdogan, is criticised internationally for his dictatorship-like practices and policies.

Accommodation

The accommodation in Turkey was researched using popular websites such as Airbnb and Booking.com. The country has a sufficient number of hotels and private accommodations alike, for instance, in Istambul, there are 139 hotels with five stars and over 3,000 hotels in total. Notably, the city where the majority of the state’s sea resorts are located, Antalya, offers tourists the full pension type of accommodation, with food and entertainment, as well as access to the sea provided on-site. According to GoTurkey (no date a) website, one can choose from luxury resorts, boutique hotels, bungalows, apartment villas, and camping sites. Hence, this state offers a lot of options in terms of accommodation for potential visitors.

Transportation

Due to the fact that tourism plays a vital role in Turkey’s economy, the government of the state declared its plan to build the biggest airport in the state in Istanbul in 2013. Currently, a tourist can get to Turkey via air travel, the state has thirty-five airports that accept international visitors. The transportation infrastructure of this country is well-developed. According to GoTurkey (no date b), one can use public transportation, which includes minibusses, or local buses, or a taxi service. Also, the country has a railway system and an underground system in some major cities. Hence, in terms of transportation, a tourist can choose from several options, both when traveling to Turkey and when traveling within this country.

Gastronomic Experiences

In terms of cuisine, Turkey offers a unique combination of the Western and Asian dishes to its visitors. Moreover, food is an important feature that attracts many tourists to Turkey. Istanbul, for example, has a famous market where a tourist can enjoy different types of local cuisine and varied dishes. According to Robertson (2018), spices are a vital part of the local cuisine, and one can visit the Spice Bazaar in Istanbul, where there is an outstanding choice of local spices. Next, Turkish Delight is a small gel-like dessert, often served with the local coffee. Another dessert is baklava, a sweet pastry that one can try at most local restaurants. Turkish cuisine is a combination of Ottoman and European food, with some Eastern dishes.

Promotion

The purpose of promotion is to ensure that potential tourists know about a location and what it has to offer. In terms of ‘pull’ factors, this means that tourists know that the infrastructure of a state is well-developed and it is easy to get to the country and be able to travel within it. In terms of ‘push’ factors, promoting the rich history of a location can attract tourists, who aim to gain more knowledge about a specific location.

In addition, in tourism, there is the primary and secondary nucleus, which are the attraction points that tourists visits. Primary nucleus typically well-known places that are the reason why the tourist selected a certain place. The second type is an attraction that a tourist knew about, but it was not the reason why they came to the location. Additionally, there are tertiary attractions, which are the ones that an individual discovers after they arrive. Promotion allows communicating the primary nucleus that will prompt a tourist to visit and tertiary nuclei that they will visit in addition once they arrive, allowing the tourist to have a better and fuller experience. Turkey is promoted as a major tourist destination because it has a diverse set of attractions, including cultural sites and natural environments to offer to potential tourists.

Postcards

The two postcards selected to represent Turkey are presented as Picture 1 and Picture 2. The term interpretation can be explained as a way of sparking interest and encouraged tourist to visit a cite. For example, a postcard is an interpretation of what a tourist will experience when visiting a place, and it is meant to show the type of attractions and experiences they will gain. The first one can help interpret Turkey as a place with historical heritage, since it is one of the oldest cities in the country. The Mosque in the picture is Hagia Sophia, which was discussed in this paper as one of the key tourist attractions. The second postcard is from Antalya, a seaside resort. The interpretation of this picture is a holiday by the sea, which helps interpret Turkey as a place for a holiday in a resort.

Conclusion

Overall, this paper examines Turkey from the perspective of a tourist destination. The country has a unique location between Europe and Asia. The population is heterogeneous, with 99% of people identifying their nationality as Turks. The natural environment is diverse, a tourist can choose from a mountain journey or a seaside holiday. In terms of historic cites, Turkish most well-known places are Sultan Ahmed Mosque Mosque and Hagia Sophia. The society in Turkey is Muslim, which impacts the local culture and traditions. Moreover, Turkish cuisine offers a unique gastro experience to tourists, since they can try spices and traditional pastry desserts. All in all, Turkey offers a set of diverse experiences to a tourist.

Reference list

Antalya (2020) Web.

Britannica (2020) “Cultural life’. Web.

Egresi, I. (ed.) (2016) Alternative tourism in Turkey: role, potential development and sustainability. Cham, Switzerland: Sprinkler International Publishing.

Go Turkey (2020) ‘Accommodation in Turkey’. Web.

Go Turkey (2020) ‘Public transport in Turkey’. Web.

Hurriyet Daily News (2018) ‘32.4 mln foreigners visit Turkey in 2017: Tourism Ministry’, Web.

Kozak, N. and Kozak, M. (eds.). (2019) Tourist destination management: instruments, products, and case studies. London: Springer.

Perkins, H. C. and Thorn, D. C. (2001) ‘Gazing or performing? reflections on Urry’s tourist gaze in the context of contemporary experience in the Antipodes’, International Sociology, 16(2), pp.185-204.

Robertson, K. (2018) How to indulge in Turkey’s delicious culinary culture. Web.

Seas of Turkey (2020) Web.

Turkey: Istambul (2018) Web.

Urry, J. (1990) The tourist gaze: leisure and travel in contemporary societies. London: SAGE.

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