Turkey’s publicity campaigns have been broadcast in 83 countries this year. As the year 2008 was declared the 'Year of Turkish Culture' in Russia, many festivals were organized in the country.

The campaign was not limited to close neighbors. The government also arranged numerous promotional campaigns in Eastern European countries.

This year's advertising campaign to promote Turkey, which has been exported to 83 countries so far, has turned into a veritable blitz. The campaign has filled the streets of cities around the world with news and advertisements praising the quality of Turkish tourism and culture.


In Russia, the focus has been on sea tourism, nature, history, love and Istanbul. The Ukrainian press wrote about “the heaven of Muğla” and a “new meeting place” in Turkey.



The number of visitors coming from Russia, the second-largest contributor to the country's tourism, is rising every year, and the advertising campaigns, which are considered very successful, are aimed at continuing this growth.



In the first six months of the campaign in Russia, 1,261 short ads were broadcast on ORT/1st Channel, Rossiya/Channel 2, Sport, Domashniy, STS and ONT TV. Until the end of November, 1,434 spots will be broadcast on ORT/1st Channel, Rossiya/Channel 2, Sport and Domashniy.



A total 23 Turkey publicity campaign ads were published in 17 magazines, including GEO, Bolshoy Gorod, Afisha Mir, 7 Days, Liza Good Advice, Gastronom and Turism Practic. In the months of March and May, in 10 cities, 19 ads promoting sea tourism, nature, history, love, family and Istanbul were displayed on billboards around the country. In Moscow, 116,028 advertisements were shown on 11 leading billboards.



Additionally, 111,160 advertisements will be put up on a giant billboard in Kazan and shown on 13 screens in St. Petersburg and Moscow between September and November in order to raise Russian awareness about the country.



The government is cooperating by advertising with the most important Russian carriers, including GTI Russia, Fresh Travel, Natali Tours and Tez Tour, and by hosting Russian journalists.



The year 2008 was declared the “Year of Turkish culture” in Russia, and to contribute to this event five ballet performance, folk dance and Mevlevi whirling dervish shows, orchestral concerts and miniature, lettering, tile and stone carving exhibitions have taken place. A fashion week and street festival have also been organized, including the distribution of 100,000 64-page magazines about Turkey.



The Russian press also covered Culture and Tourism Minister Ertuğrul Günay's visit to Moscow and the main Year of Turkish Culture events. Headlines in the Russian press proclaimed “A visit to Russia,”“ Fashion week in Istanbul” and “The most popular hotels in Turkey.”



How can one reach heaven?



The government also arranged numerous promotional campaigns in the first half of the year in Eastern European countries such as Ukraine, Moldova, Bulgaria, Romania and Poland, as well as in Greece, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Macedonia.



In Ukraine, nine TV channels and 12 newspapers, and in Moldova, five TV channels and four newspapers informed the public about Turkish seas, beaches and wonderful sunny weather. The campaign also distributed information on billboards, on the Internet and through announcements in movie theaters.



The campaign conducted in Poland promoted family holidays and meeting facilities in Turkey. The ads were presented on 15 TV channels and in 15 magazines, as well as on billboards informing people about the culture and history of the country.



The press in Bulgaria, Romania, Greece and Bosnia and Herzegovina featured Istanbul attractions and Efes as a health tourism center, while media in Macedonia focused on Turkish cuisine and entertainment.



In the eyes of China: ‘antique, blue, fascinating'



The Turkish campaign is not limited to the country's closest neighbors, but has also reached other countries, including Japan, China, South Korea, Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, Thailand and India, as well as some of Turkey's Central Asian neighbors, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan.



While in ads in Japan, cultural tourism is emphasized, the advertisements in China present Turkey as an East-West synthesis as visible in Istanbul.



The South Korean press has focused on Cappadocia, Turkish cuisine, the exotic feel of the country, and Istanbul as the meeting place of East and West.



The first six months of the campaign promoting Turkish culture and tourism also took place in the Middle East and North Africa, especially in Egypt, Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia, Dubai, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Syria and Israel.