Turkey, the most beloved holiday destination of Romanians, the subject of a new communication campaign in Romania

Turkey, the most beloved holiday destination of Romanians, the subject of a new communication campaign in Romania

• Turkey has launched an extensive communication and promotion campaign at international level.
• In Romania, the tourism promotion campaign of Turkey is developed by Rogalski Damaschin agency.
• The objective of the campaign is to promote lesser-known areas of Turkey, but with great tourist potential.

What is Turkey doing to attract Romanian tourists? Turkey re-entered the attention of public opinion in Romania in the autumn of this year, through a campaign developed by Rogalski Damaschin agency.

With more than 15 years of activity and expertise in communication and multiple awards won at international festivals, including for projects promoting some tourist destinations, Rogalski Damaschin has assumed the role of partner of the Tourism Promotion and Development Agency of Turkey (TGA) in Romania.

Turkey, promoted in Romania by Rogalski Damaschin. Cultural diversity, hospitality and quality tourism

What does Turkey offer tourists? Variants of the answer to this question are very diverse. Here are just a few:

• hundreds of endless beaches operated by premium services
• gentle sun nine months a year
• cultural diversity impossible to match in a single country
• trekking routes already known to mountain enthusiasts on all continents
• rituals of hospitality that have consistently raised standards in the field of tourism

Therefore,“To promote such a destination in Romania is a dream-job for a communication agency. With sincerity and with this argument, but also with the proof of the 6 stamps that we collected just this year, traveling to Turkey to understand a little explored part of Europe's cultural origins, we have won the trust of our partners. Together with them, we have developed an ambitious engagement plan that has already propelled Romania to the top of the sources of tourists interested in this country,“said Eliza Rogalski, Managing Partner of Rogalski Damaschin Public Relations.

Tourism Revitalization in Turkey After the Pandemic

Turkey has more than 5,000 kilometers of coastline and a rich heritage of ancient, Christian and Byzantine ruins. All this has made it one of the most sought-after vacation destinations in the world. Before the coronavirus pandemic, Turkey was already in the world's top 10.

In 2019, the country attracted a record number of tourists, 45 million, according to The Financial Times. They have spent more than $30 billion on this destination. In 2020, the pandemic led to dramatic declines in the tourism sector, respectively a total of about 13 million visitors.

In all this context, the Ministry of Tourism in Ankara, together with the Tourism Promotion and Development Agency of Turkey, had the task of revitalizing this sector, responsible for 13% of the country's GDP.

Their objective is to promote, beyond the already known destinations, also new places, less known but very attractive for travel enthusiasts.

Istanbul, a holiday destination in the top of the preferences of Romanian tourists

Romanians are choosing Istanbul more and more often in their excursions. According to data from the TGA, in the first seven months of this year, almost 90,000 tourists from Romania visited the beautiful city on the Bosphorus.

These figures represent an increase of 127.7% compared to the same period in 2021, a year in which holidays were still affected by the Covid-19 pandemic.

In total, in 2021, Istanbul had more than nine million tourists. This year, in the first seven months alone, 8,814,806 visits were reported. Thus, by the end of 2022, Turkey expects to see a record number of tourists crossing its threshold.

Campaign to promote Turkey in Romania, managed by Rogalski Damaschin. Strategy and results

With a well-developed strategy and partners in more than 200 countries, Turkey launched an extensive international communication and promotion campaign at the beginning of the year.

In Romania, the account was earned by the Rogalski Damaschin team. The PR agency has developed an engagement plan dedicated to opinion leaders in several key differentiating areas for Turkey. It is about:

• culture and heritage
• gastronomy
• sports activities
• design
• art
• hospitality

In less than two months, more than 40 opinion leaders have exclusively explored areas such as Troy, Anatolia, Izmir and Cappadocia. Each tour covered themed trails such as:

• “Ottoman capitals”
• “The Road of Wine”
• “UNESCO Treasures”
• Cultural and gastronomic festivals
• Festival of Photography
• Presidential Yachting Race, organized on the very day of the National

Thus, by the beginning of November, almost 50 TV and online reports with an audience of more than 7 million people had been generated, according to Klarmedia.

Rogalski Damaschin Agency, internationally awarded for a tourist and cultural promotion project

By the way, Rogalski Damaschin is not on the first project promotion of heritage or tourist potential destinationsVery little explored.

The project “Balls in the Light”, developed together with the client CEZ Romania, brought to the attention of the contemporary public the traditions and history of the culas — the buildings symbolic for the heritage of Oltenia.

In 2021, the agency won with this project the trophy in the Corporate Reputation — Institutional Image category, within the SABRE EMEA International Awards, one of the most important PR and Communication competitions worldwide.

In addition, since 2020, Rogalski Damaschin is also in charge of promoting the Făgăraș Mountains National Park project, an initiative of the Conservation Carpathia Foundation, supported by the European Commission, through the LIFE programme.

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