Culture Ministry speeds up Turkey’s promotion abroad

ANKARA

The Culture and Tourism Mİnistry will bring tightrope walker Nik Wallenda to Turkey to walk between the two sides of the Bosphorus. AP Photo

The Culture and Tourism Ministry has pushed the button to change Turkey’s “sea, sun and sand” image abroad, announcing plans to organize various events, such as gourmet visits and arts and cultural tours, over the coming year.

The ministry, which has reframed Turkey’s cultural and tourism policies, previously announced it would work with the Hollywood actress Julianne Moore, as well as master photographers, to promote Turkey this year. It will also use all possible avenues to achieve the goals, from fashion festivals, to social media and TV programs.

Within the scope of these schemes, the Turkish Tourism Office in Paris is planning to become a sponsor for one of France’s biggest sporting events, the Roland Garros (French Open) tennis tournament held every May.

At the same time, world-renowned tightrope walker Nik Wallenda, who is in the Guinness Book of Records, will walk between the two sides of the Bosphorus as part of promotional efforts to demonstrate that Istanbul is a bridge between the continents.

Also, different cultural activities will be conducted in collaboration with the Serbian Presidency in order to commemorate the centenary of the outbreak of World War I. Also, as part of the 50th anniversary of immigration to Europe, the Brussels Culture and Tourism Office will present cinema, theater, music, painting and folklore shows at the Palace of Fine Arts in Brussels. Further to the northeast, Anatolian Culture Days will also be organized by the Copenhagen Culture and Tourism Office.

The 600th year of Turkish-Polish diplomatic relations will be marked with various events in both countries. Important tour operators will shoot advertisement films focusing on the theme of the “600th year,” while Anatolian cuisine will be promoted in Poland during Turkish Cuisine Days.

Some 25 journalists from notable press and media organs will also be hosted in Turkey in connection with the 600th anniversary. Tourism sector representatives from both countries will come together during a workshop next month, while Turkey will join the Warsaw or Krakow book fair and an open-air exhibition on the theme of the “600th year” and “Polonezköy” – a Polish village on Istanbul’s Asian side – in the city squares of Warsaw, Krakow, Gdansk, Wroclaw and Ponzan.

The Culture and Tourism Ministry, which is increasingly attempting to break into social media, will organize competitions about Turkey through social networks. A special section will be dedicated to Turkish cinema at the Eurasia Film Festival, the biggest in Central Asia.

Special promotion for German market

Borussia Dortmund midfielder İlkay Gündoğan, a German national of Turkish origin that plays for the German national football team, will also take part in Turkey’s promotion in various parts of Germany, as well as other renowned figures followed by the German public.

Another plan of the ministry is to publish magazines and books to promote Turkish cuisine. German channel Arte will broadcast a six-episode Turkey travel program titled “Turkey Days.”

Elsewhere, the “Dede Korkut” opera will be on stage in October in Germany, promoting an epic hero from Turkish mythology. Also, one of the renowned theaters in Germany, the Gorki Theater, will present a Turkish play for the first time.