Abstract:

Since the travelling movements of people within the scope of moving from one region to another region date back to the first human beings, the concept of tourism is as old as the history of humanity. With the industrial revolution that took place in the West in the XIXth century, developments in means of transport made it easier for people to travel to other geographies in a collective, economical and safe way. Although the Ottoman Empire took important steps to take advantage of the tourism and travel phenomenon emerging in the West, it could not achieve the desired gain. In 1923, with the Republic, Atatürk commissioned the Turkish Traveller Society for promotional and propaganda activities. Atatürk saw the tourism sector as an important tool to introduce the natural and historical richness of the country to the world and to bring modern-democratic Turkey to the world showcase. The aim of this study is to reveal what steps were taken in the field of tourism during Atatürk’s reign and how much these steps contributed to the promotion of the country and its income. The main source of the study consists of archival documents and secondary sources revealing the tourism activities of the period.

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