The Turkish tourism sector, which hosts millions of visitors from around the world each year, aims to reach different audiences through TV series, according to a report on Monday.
The Culture and Tourism Ministry, in collaboration with the Türkiye Tourism Promotion and Development Agency (TGA), has added Turkish series to the promotional campaigns it carries out globally, a report by Anadolu Agency (AA) said.
The report cited a miniseries that depicts Antalya, a prominent tourism spot and a renowned destination, which, alongside Istanbul, attracts the largest number of tourists to the country.
Antalya, which has become a global brand in tourism, is the main focus of a 10-episode miniseries prepared by the Culture and Tourism Ministry.
The miniseries, titled "Antalya Gambit," was released to the audience via the GoTurkey YouTube page. Starring acclaimed Turkish actors Kaan Urgancıoğlu and Meryem Uzerli, the series showcases not only the stunning blues of Antalya, but also its charm and vast historical heritage.
Kaan Kaşif Kavaloğlu, a board member of the TGA and the president of the Mediterranean Tourist Hoteliers and Operators Association (AKTOB), told AA that the agency dedicates significant resources to its promotional activities.
He pointed out that the TV series industry is also one of the areas where these promotional activities are concentrated. "Many people influenced by various series shift their vacation plans to the regions where these series were filmed. Türkiye is one of the countries that exports the most TV series after the U.S.," he said.
"The international viewership of these series, especially with tourism elements featured in them, will provide a significant contribution to tourism," he added.
The tourism sector is one of the key contributors to the Turkish economy, and together with hospitality, it also provides notable employment opportunities.
According to the May 2025 World Tourism Barometer published by the United Nations World Tourism Organization (U.N. Tourism), Türkiye became the fourth country hosting the most tourists in the world, with 56.7 million foreign visitors in 2024, Culture and Tourism Minister Mehmet Nuri Ersoy said on Monday.
"Rising one place from fifth to fourth place compared to the previous year, Türkiye continued its steady rise in this area. Our total number of visitors in 2024 reached 62.3 million," Ersoy said on X.
Kavaloğlu, meanwhile, also mentioned that the agency focuses on filming series set in Türkiye, and he emphasized that the "Antalya Gambit" miniseries is an important project. He added that there would be more such projects in the future.
"The actors in these series are our promotional faces. I saw how much our actors were in the spotlight in Dubai, in the United Arab Emirates, and I was genuinely proud of that. Therefore, we will continue to see them as the faces of tourism," he said.
Directed by Bertan Başaran, the "Antalya Gambit" series stars the famous art curator Lara (played by Meryem Uzerli) and the mysterious architect Deniz (played by Kaan Urgancıoğlu) in leading roles.
Through this miniseries, Antalya is not only presented as a vacation destination but also as the center of a story woven with mystery, romance and culture.
Blending the pulse of a thriller with the allure of Mediterranean romance, the dynamic series attracts the attention of international audiences to Antalya, the heart of the Turkish Riviera.
