Projected image of Turkey in travel blogs

Abstract

Travel and destination information is mostly provided by textual and storytelling communication practices. With the spread of mobile phones, digital tools and Web 2.0, photographs have become an important medium for reflecting destinations. This study analyses how Turkey is visualized and reflected as a destination through photos by the top 100 most-visited travel bloggers. As a result of the research, predictable findings (e.g. the most visited city: Istanbul or the most interesting historical monuments: Sultan Ahmet, Hagia Sophia) were obtained, and unexpected results were also gathered by the researchers. Among these, street cats (31) attract the same level of curiosity as the Topkapi Palace (34), and bloggers shared Cappadocia’s (21%) photos more than all coastal regions involved in intense of tourism (17%). These results imply clues on which destinations or attractions of Turkey should be emphasized and provide some information about Turkey’s image as a destination.