Film to boost Turkish heritage abroad

ANKARA - Anatolia News Agency

The film will feature 11 places on the UNESCO list, 37 nominees and 10 other cultural highlights in Turkey. DHA photo

A film is to be made for the first time aiming to promote Turkey’s 37 cultural highlights including those featured on the UNESCO World Heritage List and the nominees. The Tourism Promotion Platform (TUTAP) is behind the plans for the film, in a bid to boost Turkey’s promotion abroad and increase tourism revenue.

“If we promote the places on the UNESCO World Heritage List well, we will host not 30 but 50 million tourists,” said TUTAP President Fikret Yıldız, speaking about the project.

Yıldız said that they had launched a large-scale promotional activity, and that the film, which will feature 11 places on the UNESO list, 37 nominees and 10 other cultural heritages in Turkey, would fill a big gap in Turkey’s promotion abroad.

He also said that the making of the film would begin on May 15 in Antalya since it has many places on the list, and was expected to be finished in five months, passing through 30 cities. Yıldız said they had planned a comprehensive promotional film, adding that they had talks to collaborate with TRT Turk channel and in this way the film would also be screened on television.

“We think that a big deficit in Turkey’s promotion abroad will be met with this film because lots of promotional films have been made so far but our places included in UNESCO’s World Heritage List have not been promoted. I hope that we will be a leader and many films like this will be made after that,” Yıldız said.

Free with flight ticket

Yıldız said that their goal was to print 1 million CDs with the support of sponsors and distribute the film with brochures and books. “The film will be in English, Arabic, Russian, Japanese and German languages. It will be distributed for free,” he added.

Yıldız also said that Turkish Airlines (THY) was considering the idea of presenting the film to those traveling to Turkey from abroad along with their ticket. He added that he believed that the film would increase the number of visitors and tourism revenues.

“The number of foreign visitors to Turkey is 30 million but it could be 50 million. Moreover, the tourism revenue is low compared to the tourist number because of the fact that tourists do not leave their hotels because of the all-inclusive system. This project will highlight the places the contributions of Turkey to world heritage and tourists will be drawn to these places,” he said.

What’s in the film?

The film will promote architectural treasures and notable places such as Istanbul, the Göreme National Park, Cappadocia, Denizli’s Hierapolis, the ancient city of Troy, Karabük’s Safranbolu, Hattusha, Konya’s Çatalhöyük, Edirne’s Selimiye Mosque, the Hittite capital Çorum, Xanthos-Letoon in Antalya, Sivas’s Divriği Ulu Mosque, as well as cultural and culinary elements of the country’s heritage such as Mevlevi ceremonies, Karagöz Shadow Theater, Kırkpınar Oilwresting, Mesir Paste and so forth.