Public relations activities of Turkey`s international publicity for the aim of tourism (example of A Gourp travel agency bringing tourist to Antalya)

SUMMARY That the importance of tourism increases gradually all over the world and with this development it will become one of the biggest sector in course of foreign money and employment in 2000' s makes lots of countries compete eachother more in this sector. Tourism, the unseperable part of civilization, is still an economic and social phenomenon on international area with its economic, social, cultural, technical and political functions. Because of these effects of tourism on countries, it is shown that countries give great importance to international tourism advertising. The international advertising of tourism aims to develop country's image in foreign countries throughout its national benefits. To get people's attention to country's, area's or touristic company's properties or services, to inform and educate people, to provide positive thougths by making suggestions, to direct them to buy touristic property or service are the main goals of international tourism advertising. The international tourism advertising effort is towards people, organizations and masses. Since the advertising is connected with the relations among people and organizations, it is involved in public relations. In international advertising of tourism, public relations have very important functions such as creating positive image, affecting the public, providing positive thoughts, sympathy, trust and good intention. In Turkey, the international tourism advertising is carried out by non profit and profit organizations. These organizations aim to provide positive image about Turkey and to wipe the negative ones by advertising Turkey's social-cultural properties and touristic abundance on international area. Travel agencies involved in these organizations mentioned above are one of the basic elements of tourism sector. That the people, travelling alone or with mass, mostly use travel agencies shows and proves the importance of travel agencies. Considering the all mentioned above, in this thesis, named "The Public Relation Activities In International Torism Advertising", these subjests are dealt with in order; - Tourism and International Advertising of Tourism - The Public Relations Activities - The importance of Public Relation in International Advertising of Turkish TourismXI In the application part of this research, there is a survey that is applied to A grup travel agengies placed in Antalya and its evaluations. In this survey, applied to 50 travel agencies, we aim to find and show how much A grup travel agengies, bringing tourists to Antalya, use public relation activities in their international advertisments of Turkish tourism. In accordance with this aim, we try to determine the present conditions of travel agencies, the rate of how much they use public relation activities and their points of view to the advertising of Turkey.