Halim Bulutoğlu, one of the founding partners of EKİN Group, recounts the publishing, exhibition, and organizational legacy that EKİN has left to Turkish tourism in his 232-page book EKİN ‘farklıydı’ (EKİN Was Different). The book not only tells the story of an institution, but also sheds light on the transformation of Türkiye’s tourism industry and the development of its publishing, information, and professional event culture.

EKİN Group, one of Türkiye’s pioneering and exemplary organizations in tourism publishing and professional event management, played a significant role in the institutionalization of the country’s tourism industry. Its story is now documented in EKİN ‘farklıydı’, written by one of the Group’s founding partners, Halim Bulutoğlu.

Drawing also on the observations of the book’s editor, İ. Bülent Çelik, the publication traces EKİN’s nearly quarter-century journey from tourism publishing to trade fairs, professional conferences, sectoral events, and digital journalism.

The story of EKİN is also the story of a period when Türkiye’s rapidly growing tourism industry was beginning to develop its own professional literature, institutional memory, communication channels, and meeting platforms.

From an industry without books to an extensive tourism library

One of EKİN Group’s most significant contributions to Turkish tourism was transforming tourism publishing into a systematic and continuous field of professional production.

At a time when written resources on Türkiye’s tourism destinations and tourism industry were extremely limited, EKİN developed an extensive publishing portfolio in Turkish as well as in the languages of major tourist-generating markets.

Its publications ranged from annually updated Hotel Guides and destination guides to regional publications and pocket guides; from books introducing Türkiye’s ancient cities with detailed maps and plans to nature and adventure publications; and from professional training books to periodicals for the tourism industry.

EKİN also documented tourism routes, destinations, accommodation establishments, cultural heritage sites, and the country’s emerging tourism infrastructure, helping to build a written memory of Turkish tourism.

In this sense, EKİN did more than publish books. It helped transform a tourism industry with only a limited body of written material into one supported by an expanding library of professional and destination-based knowledge.

A pioneering institution in tourism publishing and organization

EKİN Group distinguished itself not only as a publisher but also as one of Türkiye’s pioneering and exemplary professional event and organization companies.

Its approach brought together publishing, sectoral information, professional networking, exhibitions, conferences, workshops, and international business development within an integrated structure.

This model contributed to the emergence of a new professional culture in Turkish tourism, in which industry stakeholders could meet, exchange knowledge, establish partnerships, and engage directly with international markets.

The organization that created EMITT

Among EKİN Group’s most important contributions to Türkiye’s tourism industry was the creation of EMITT – East Mediterranean International Tourism & Travel Exhibition.

EKİN conceived and launched EMITT, laying the foundations for what would become one of Türkiye’s most prominent international tourism fairs and an important meeting platform for the regional and global travel industry.

The exhibition brought destinations, tourism businesses, public institutions, travel professionals, buyers, and international industry representatives together under one roof.

EKİN’s vision of tourism exhibitions went far beyond stands and visitor numbers. International tourism conferences, hosted buyer programmes, sectoral panels, workshops, and professional networking activities became integral parts of this approach.

Through EMITT, EKİN contributed to establishing a stronger exhibition and business-networking culture in Türkiye’s tourism industry and created a platform through which Turkish tourism could engage more effectively with international markets.

Bringing hospitality and tourism industries together

EKİN also developed projects aimed at strengthening relations between the hospitality sector and its suppliers.

Publications such as Turizm Endüstrisi catalogues and exhibitions such as HOTEQ helped accommodation businesses connect with manufacturers, suppliers, service providers, and other sectors serving the hospitality industry.

International culinary competitions featuring leading chefs further broadened the scope of these events, turning tourism exhibitions into platforms for professional exchange, visibility, and prestige.

Through these initiatives, EKİN helped move tourism fairs beyond their traditional commercial function and transform them into comprehensive meeting places for different components of the tourism economy.

A pioneer of digital tourism journalism

Another significant EKİN project was TurizmGazetesi.com.

Described as one of Türkiye’s—and possibly one of the world’s—first online newspapers dedicated specifically to the tourism industry, TurizmGazetesi.com emerged at a time when digital publishing was still in its infancy.

The platform provided the tourism industry with current news, professional information, analysis, and developments, becoming another example of EKİN’s forward-looking approach to sectoral communication.

TurizmGazetesi.com continues its publishing activities today, representing one of the living components of EKİN’s legacy in Turkish tourism.

The invisible memory of an industry

EKİN’s contribution cannot be measured only through the books it published, the exhibitions it organized, or the projects it launched.

Over the years, the Group also created extensive archives of information, photographs, documents, statistics, and professional records. These archives became part of the institutional memory of Turkish tourism.

The traces of this long-term effort can be found behind many sources of information that have helped hotels, travel agencies, destinations, tourism professionals, and tourism publications operate more effectively.

In this respect, EKİN’s story is not simply the story of a commercial organization. It is also the story of how a tourism industry grew through knowledge, publishing, documentation, professional organization, and a shared sectoral culture.

The story of an institution and the transformation of Turkish tourism

In the 232-page EKİN ‘farklıydı’, Halim Bulutoğlu documents a period of transformation in Turkish tourism while recounting the story of EKİN Group.

Despite the modest tone adopted by Bulutoğlu in describing both his own role and the achievements of EKİN, the scale of the Group’s contribution becomes apparent through its extensive publishing activities, professional organizations, trade fairs, archives, and digital initiatives.

From creating an extensive tourism publishing library to launching EMITT, from producing professional reference materials to pioneering online tourism journalism, EKİN Group became one of the institutions that helped shape the professional infrastructure of Turkish tourism.

Its story demonstrates that the development of tourism is not driven solely by hotels, visitor numbers, or investment. It is also built through knowledge, publishing, institutional memory, professional networks, and organizations capable of bringing an industry together.