Targeted soft power in Turkish new foreign policy and its impact on origins of in-bound tourists

Abstract

This article is a preliminary study on impact of targeted soft power on origins of in-bound tourists. By focusing on the case of Turkey, it argues that the origins of foreign visitors to Turkey is affected by its targeted soft power policies within the new Turkish foreign policy. Since the AKP government came to power in 2002, Turkey experienced a significant foreign policy orientation shift. This new foreign policy doctrine prioritizes increasing country’s soft power towards targeted regions. Using several foreign policy tools, Turkey tries to increase its soft power among countries that have cultural and historical ties to itself. Increasing soft power of Turkey in these targeted countries significantly and positively impacts the number of in-bound tourists since early 2000s.