Turkish Tourism Promotion and Development Agency

What Turkish Tourism Promotion and Development Agency does

The Turkish Tourism Promotion and Development Agency (TGA), operating under the brand GoTürkiye, is a statutory government agency established in 2019 under the Republic of Turkey Ministry of Culture and Tourism to promote Turkish tourism internationally. Headquartered in Ankara with a regional tourism office in Tokyo (the Turkish Embassy Cultural and Tourism Office at 2-33-6 Jingumae, Shibuya-ku), TGA coordinates marketing campaigns, trade events, and digital platforms that position Turkey as a transcontinental destination spanning Asia and Europe. The agency serves a broad set of stakeholders: end tourists from source markets (Russia, Germany, UK, Japan, Bulgaria among others), trade partners (tour operators such as Jet2, On the Beach, SunExpress; airlines such as Turkish Airlines), and tourism service providers requiring international demand generation.

TGA's core technology stack is the GoTürkiye digital ecosystem, anchored by the goturkiye.com portal network with 100+ regional and themed subdomains (e.g., goistanbulturkiye.com, gocappadociaturkiye.com, goaegeanturkiye.com, goturkiye.jp), supported by a multi-platform social media presence reaching 20.8M combined followers across YouTube (5.2M), TikTok (4.63M), Instagram (3.7M), Facebook, X, WhatsApp, Douyin, and VKontakte. The agency operates complementary products including the Digital Nomads GoTürkiye visa platform (36 eligible countries), the Safe Tourism Certification Program (7 categories), the GSTC-aligned Sustainable Tourism Program (2,005+ certified facilities as of September 2025), the Night Museum Project (27 sites), and the Museum Card. Analytics and marketing automation are built on Google Analytics, Google Tag Manager, and Facebook Pixel integrations. Original content production includes the cinematic short drama series 'Antalya Gambit' and 'Istanbul My Love' (the latter featuring AI-generated characters), broadcast across the global YouTube channel.

TGA does not generate revenue directly from consumers; it is funded through government budget allocations for national tourism promotion. Its economic impact is measured at the national tourism sector level, with Turkey generating $50B in tourism revenue by Q3 2025 (+5.7% YoY) from 50 million foreign visitors (+1.6% YoY), ranking 4th globally in inbound tourism per UNWTO 2024. The agency earns no direct fees from tourists or service providers; instead, it drives demand that flows to Turkish hotels, airlines, tour operators, and cultural sites. Go-to-market combines sales-led trade partnerships (co-marketing with major UK tour operators reporting 16% YoY British arrivals growth), event-driven diplomacy (GoTürkiye workshops in Tokyo, Osaka, Sofia), and product-led digital distribution through the 20.8M-follower social ecosystem and original content formats.

Name

Turkish Tourism Promotion and Development Agency

Legal name

Türkiye Tourism Promotion and Development Agency (TGA)

Website

https://goturkiye.jp

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Short description

The Turkish Tourism Promotion and Development Agency (TGA) is a Turkish government statutory agency operating under the GoTürkiye brand to promote Turkish tourism internationally through digital platforms, trade partnerships, and marketing campaigns. It serves end tourists from global source markets, tour operators, airlines, and tourism service providers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Tourism Destination Marketing

NAICS

Convention and Visitors Bureaus (561591)

SIC

Services-Advertising Agencies (7311)

akta.pro primary industry

Tourism Trade & Services Exports Development (BPADAMAO)

akta.pro secondary industries

Cultural, Heritage & Arts Travel Agencies (THAKAFAK), Destination & Local Services Marketplaces (Transfers, Guides, City Passes) (THALAFAK)

Keywords

• Destination marketing services
• Tourism promotion services
• Sustainable tourism certification
• Digital tourism marketing
• Travel trade workshops

Headquarters

HQ city

Ankara

HQ country

Türkiye

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Tourism Revenue Generation: TGA promotes Turkey as a destination contributing to national tourism revenue. 2025 Q3 tourism revenue reached $50 billion USD with 50 million visitors year-to-date.

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

TGA operates the GoTürkiye destination marketing platform, promoting Türkiye as a global tourism destination through multilingual digital portals, social media channels, original video content, trade events, and certification programs. Its ecosystem includes the GoTürkiye portal network spanning 81 provinces, Safe Tourism and GSTC-aligned Sustainable Tourism certification programs, a digital-nomad visa platform, and travel-trade workshops held in source markets worldwide. The agency manages destination branding on behalf of the Turkish government with a 20.8-million-follower social media presence and direct trade engagement with major international tour operators and airlines.

Product overview

The Turkish Tourism Promotion and Development Agency (TGA) operates GoTürkiye as its central official tourism promotion platform, supported by a comprehensive ecosystem of 100+ regional and themed destination websites (including goistanbulturkiye.com, gocappadociaturkiye.com, goaegeanturkiye.com, and specialized sites for sports, adventure, wellness, and cultural tourism). The agency provides supplementary services including the Safe Tourism Certification Program for health and safety standards, the GSTC-aligned Sustainable Tourism Program for environmental responsibility, and the Digital Nomads GoTürkiye platform for remote work visa applications. The GoTürkiye Destination Promotion Workshop and Night Museum Project are specialized programs supporting tourism development, while the Museum Card provides integrated access to cultural heritage sites. Cross-platform reach is maintained through major social media channels with 20.8 million combined followers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• GoTürkiye Official Tourism Portal Network Multilingual official tourism-marketing portal covering all 81 Turkish provinces with country-specific sites (e.g., goturkiye.jp for Japan), providing destination guides, experience curation, travel-planning resources, and brand marketing for international leisure and trade audiences.
• Digital Nomads GoTürkiye Digital-nomad visa and remote-work concierge platform helping international remote workers obtain Türkiye residency and access destination resources for long-stay stays.
• Safe Tourism Certification Program Certification program auditing and certifying Turkish accommodations, restaurants, and tourism facilities against health-and-hygiene standards, providing travelers with safety assurance during and after the pandemic.
• Sustainable Tourism Program (GSTC-aligned) GSTC-aligned sustainability certification for Turkish hotels and tourism businesses, with more than 2,000 certified properties representing the world's largest country footprint under the framework.
• GoTürkiye Destination Promotion Workshop B2B trade workshops held in key source markets to engage tour operators, travel agencies, and media with Türkiye product updates, partnership opportunities, and joint marketing activations.
• Night Museum Project Cultural-tourism program extending museum and heritage-site opening hours into evening hours to enable richer visitor experiences and drive cultural-tourism demand.
• GoTürkiye Regional Destination Platforms Destination-specific marketing platforms (Istanbul, Antalya, Cappadocia, Sirince, etc.) delivering focused content, itineraries, and trade assets for high-priority destinations within Türkiye.
• Istanbul My Love Original Drama Series Original AI-integrated short drama series using narrative storytelling to market Istanbul as a tourism destination across TGA's social media video platforms.

Quantifiable outcome

• 50 million foreign tourist arrivals by Q3 2025 (+1.6% YoY)
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

AI capability3 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and flagship.

• Jet2coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMajor UK tour operator offering UK's largest Turkey program on sale. Key distribution partner driving 16% YoY growth in British tourist arrivals to Turkey for summer 2026 season.
• On the BeachcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorUK tour operator reporting 160% increase in last-minute Easter bookings to Turkey. Strategic partner for UK market development and demand generation.
• SunExpresscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorUK tour operator contributing to strong British travel growth to Turkey. Joint marketing and distribution partnership for summer 2026 season.
• Bulgarian Tourism StakeholdersflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerBilateral tourism cooperation with Bulgaria through GoTürkiye event in Sofia. Bulgarian tourists represent 2.6 million arrivals (Jan-Nov 2025). Partnership leverages 2022 visa-free travel policy for cross-border tourism development.
• Turkish AirlinesflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-hosted GoTürkiye Destination Promotion Workshop in Tokyo and Osaka with 100+ industry professionals per venue. Joint MICE promotion and destination marketing partnership. TGA MICE Director and Turkish Airlines Japan PR participated as speakers.
• 36 International Research Institutions (Taş Tepeler Project)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTaş Tepeler (Stone Mounds) archaeological project involves 15 Turkish and 21 international research institutions, 219 researchers working across 12 Neolithic sites including Göbeklitepe and Karahantepe.
• Japanese Imperial Family (Princess Akiko)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrincess Akiko visited Turkey September 2025 marking 100th anniversary of Japan-Turkey diplomatic relations. Announced new Japanese-led excavation project at Ayanlar Höyük archaeological site, strengthening academic cooperation.
• Global Social Media PlatformscoreTechnology or IntegrationPartnerships with YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, X (Twitter), WhatsApp, Douyin, and VKontakte for global tourism promotion reaching 20.8 million combined followers.
• Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerTurkey signed cooperation agreement with GSTC in 2022 for national sustainable tourism program. First country to develop government-level sustainable tourism framework with GSTC. Turkey leads globally with 2,000+ certified hotels (80% of world total).
• UNWTOcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTurkey ranked 4th globally in UNWTO 2024 inbound tourism data. Partnership for Best Tourism Villages initiative including Şirince (2023) and Birgi (2022) designations.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Brand USA: Brand USA is the United States' national destination marketing organization, structurally and functionally analogous to TGA — a publicly-funded entity that promotes a single country's tourism offering through digital marketing, trade partnerships, and international offices. Both operate multi-platform social media ecosystems and trade workshop programs to drive inbound arrivals.
• Tourism Australia: Tourism Australia is the Australian government agency responsible for international tourism promotion, with a comparable remit of destination marketing, social media content production, and trade engagement. Both organizations pursue similar high-yield traveler segments (wellness, cultural, MICE) and compete for Asia-Pacific inbound demand.
• Atout France: Atout France is France's national tourism development agency, comparable to TGA in its government-backed remit to promote France internationally, operate regional destination platforms, and engage tour operators and airlines. Both agencies emphasize heritage, gastronomy (Michelin Guide alignment), and multi-language digital portals.
• Singapore Tourism Board: Singapore Tourism Board is a statutory board under the Singapore government promoting tourism through digital campaigns, MICE development, and lifestyle branding. Comparable to TGA in its statutory structure, government funding model, and integration with national carrier (Singapore Airlines vs Turkish Airlines) for joint marketing.
• Korea Tourism Organization (KTO): KTO is the Korean government agency promoting inbound tourism through digital content, Hallyu (Korean Wave) cultural marketing, and trade partnerships. Directly comparable to TGA in using cultural content (K-drama vs Turkish short drama series) as a primary acquisition channel and competing for Asia-Pacific leisure demand.
• VisitBritain: VisitBritain is the UK's national tourism agency, directly comparable to TGA in its remit to drive inbound arrivals through destination marketing, social media content, and tour operator partnerships. TGA explicitly engages VisitBritain-source-market tour operators (Jet2, On the Beach, SunExpress) as core channel partners.
• Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO): JNTO is Japan's national tourism organization promoting inbound arrivals through regional destination portals, social media, and cultural heritage storytelling. Directly comparable to TGA's heritage-driven content strategy (Taş Tepeler, Göbeklitepe) and Japan's JNTO also leverages UNESCO heritage sites and cultural experiences as core marketing assets.
• Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT): TAT is Thailand's national tourism promotion agency with a comparable scope: international destination marketing, social media presence targeting millions of followers, and trade workshop programs across multiple source markets. Both agencies emphasize cultural heritage, gastronomy, and multi-platform digital content strategies to drive inbound arrivals.
• Turespaña: Turespaña is the Spanish national tourism promotion agency under the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Tourism, with a structural and operational model very close to TGA's — including international offices, digital portal networks, and tour operator partnerships. Both compete directly for Mediterranean beach and cultural tourism demand.
• ENIT (Italian Government Tourist Board): ENIT is Italy's national tourism agency promoting cultural heritage, regional destinations, and Mediterranean experiences internationally. Comparable to TGA in its cultural-and-heritage-led marketing approach, multi-region destination portfolio, and engagement with European tour operator distribution channels.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/goturkiye
• YouTubeyoutube.com/GoT%C3%BCrkiye
• Facebookfacebook.com/GoTurkiye
• Instagraminstagram.com/goturkiye
• TikToktiktok.com/@goturkiye

Compliance8 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Turkish Tourism Promotion and Development Agency