Destination Development and
Institutionalization Strategies
In the OIC Member Countries
87
Shopping Fest has been an international attraction organized by ICVB every year in collaboration with local
brands and shopping malls. There are 112 shopping malls in Istanbul, and 5 historical bazaars such as the
Grand Bazaar which is the oldest and biggest closed marketplace in the world.
Istanbul is an educational destination. In the 2016/2017 educational year, 29,217 international students
from over 150 countries were enrolled in 52 different universities across Istanbul. 277 Istanbul is also taking
the biggest share from Turkey’s short term (less than 1 year) education market which attracted 240,583
international educational travelers in 2011. 278
Turkey has a gastronomy rich heritage as it is set amid different cultures and geographies fromAsia to Europe
and from the Balkans to the Middle East.279 Istanbul makes it possible to taste thousands of different tastes
supplied from all over Anatolia in its restaurants that have over 122,000 seat capacities and are accredited by
the Turkish TourismMinistry.280 The Gastronomy Tourism Association is one of the non-profit stakeholders
promoting Istanbul as a gastro-destination.281
Historical Background of Destination Management in Istanbul
Istanbul was a key destination during the old Silk Road and Spice Road times. In 1863, Ottoman Government
ministers, the Istanbul Chamber of Commerce and several businessmen formed a tourism body to make
Istanbul an attraction center for exhibitions for foreign and local visitors.282
The two key DMOs responsible for Istanbul today are the Istanbul Provincial Directorate of Culture and
Tourism, which is the TourismMinistry armoperating under local governorships throughout 81 cities across
Turkey, and the Istanbul Convention & Visitors Bureau (ICVB), which is a public-private-non-profit trilateral
body that was founded in 1997.
The Istanbul Provincial Directorate of Culture and Tourismmainly provides 24 different services 283 to tourism
stakeholders in the city, from stamping tourism operating certificates for hotels and restaurants as well as
granting legal permission for television, cinema, and drama productions to be shot at museums and historical
places such as the Grand Bazaar or Ottoman Palaces. The directorate also engages with a series of incentives
such as providing discounted electricity for local tourism stakeholders.
ICVB is the execution body of amuch older foundation, the TourismDevelopment and Education Foundation
(TUGEV), which was founded under a public-private collaboration in 1984 to promote Istanbul and Turkey
as a tourism destination. The Turkish Government’s Culture and Tourism Minister was the chairman of
TUGEV, and 17 prominent hotelier/tourism businessmen such as Vehbi Koç (of Koç Holding) were among
the founding members from the private sector. After 13 years as a non-profit tourism promoter, TUGEV
has expanded by establishing ICVB in 1997 to execute destination marketing of Istanbul around the world,
in a modern way. Destination expert company David Hall & Associates was awarded $100K for an advisory
277 Yükseköğretim Bilgi Yönetim Sistemi. (n.d.). Retrieved fro
278 Turkish Statistical Institute. (n.d.). Retrieved fro
279 Bucak, T., & Araci, Ü E. (2013). An Overall Assessment On The Gastronomıc Tourısm In Turkey. Balikesir University The Journal of Social
Sciences Institute , 16(30), 203-216. Retrieved fro
280 Istanbul Tourism Statistics Report (1-19, Rep.). (2017). Istanbul: Culture and Tourism Provincial Directorate. Retrieved from
ekim-2017pdf.pdf?0
281 Culinary Travel Society. (2016). Retrieved from
282 Özdemir, M. (Ed.). (2011). Beginning of Tourism in Turkey: Industrialization Efforts in the Ottoman Empire. Anatolia: Journal of
Tourism Research, 22(1), 87-90. Retrieved from
283 KAMU HİZMETİNİN SUNUMUNDA UYULACAK USUL VE ESASLARA İLİŞKİN YÖNETMELİK” GEREGİNCE (1-6) [Chart]. (n.d.). Republic of
Turkey Ministry of Culture and Tourism.