The Türkiye Tourism Oral History Research Project (2012–2015) was a large-scale oral history initiative conducted by Anadolu University to document the experiences of individuals and institutions that contributed to the development of tourism in Türkiye. The project generated 696 hours of audio and video recordings through interviews with 522 participants and created one of the most comprehensive tourism oral history archives in the world.

Definition and Background

The Türkiye Tourism Oral History Research Project was a research initiative supported by the Scientific Research Projects Coordination Unit of Anadolu University and designed to preserve and transmit the institutional memory of Turkish tourism to future generations. The project systematically documented the knowledge, experiences, and evaluations of individuals who directly witnessed and shaped the development of tourism in Türkiye.

Although statistical data, official documents, and institutional reports constitute important sources for tourism history research, the experiences of individuals who contributed to the development of the tourism sector are often overlooked. By employing oral history methodology, the Türkiye Tourism Oral History Research Project generated a substantial body of primary-source material concerning the evolution of tourism in Türkiye and filled a significant gap in tourism historiography.

Project Duration and Coordinating Institution

The Türkiye Tourism Oral History Research Project commenced in December 2012 and was completed in December 2015. It was developed and implemented with the participation of faculty members from the Faculty of Tourism at Anadolu University. The project was directed by Nazmi Kozak.

The research was carried out with institutional consultancy support from the History Foundation of Türkiye (Tarih Vakfı) and Ekin Group. Gülay Kayacan from the History Foundation and Fehmi Köfteoğlu from Ekin Group made significant contributions during both the planning and implementation stages. Prior to and during the project, researchers participated in various training programs on oral history methodologies.

Objectives

The primary objective of the Türkiye Tourism Oral History Research Project was to create an institutional memory of Turkish tourism by documenting the experiences of individuals and organizations that contributed to the development of tourism in Türkiye. Interviews were conducted with managers, investors, entrepreneurs, public officials, academics, tourist guides, chefs, journalists, publishers, and local stakeholders representing different sectors of the tourism industry.

The project also sought to provide source material for future academic studies, document the historical development of the tourism sector, and transfer the accumulated knowledge of pioneering tourism professionals to future generations.

Research Design and Methodology

In the initial phase of the research, “Source Person Identification Workshops” were organized in Eskişehir, İstanbul, and Antalya to identify potential interviewees. These two-day workshops brought together tourism sector representatives and resulted in the identification of approximately 900 potential source persons.

During the project period, interviews were conducted with 522 individuals. Although a general interview framework was employed, specialized questionnaires were developed for different categories of interviewees. Separate interview forms were prepared for Ministry of Tourism bureaucrats, tourist guides, chefs, tourism investors, Tourism Bank executives, and tourism stakeholders from various destinations. Additional destination-specific questions were used during interviews conducted in destinations such as Alanya, Side, Bodrum, Marmaris, Didim, Kuşadası, Cappadocia, and Uludağ.

Interviews began with approximately twelve biographical questions designed to reveal the life stories of participants. Subsequent questions focused on entry into the tourism sector, professional experiences, sectoral transformations, and evaluations of tourism development. On average, each interviewee was asked approximately seventy questions. Most interviews lasted between one and two hours, although some extended longer and required multiple sessions. Following each interview, a “Source Person Information Form” and an “Interview Publication Consent Form” were prepared.

Interviews and Archiving

The interviews were conducted primarily in the cities and workplaces of the interviewees. A limited number of interviews were carried out in Eskişehir. As a result of interviews with 522 individuals, a total of 696 hours of audio and video recordings were obtained. These recordings were archived and fully transcribed into written texts. A significant portion of the transcriptions was completed by the History Foundation, while approximately eighty interviews were transcribed by a private company in Ankara in order to accelerate the process.

During the publication preparation stage, each interview transcript was reviewed at least four times and carefully edited for spelling and stylistic consistency. Some transcripts were sent to interviewees for review and verification, allowing corrections without altering the substance of the content.

Characteristics of the Interviewees

The Türkiye Tourism Oral History Research Project sought to include representatives from nearly every field of Turkish tourism. Interviewees included former ministers of tourism, undersecretaries, directors general, department heads, TURBAN executives, tourism investors and entrepreneurs, hotel managers and employees, restaurant operators, chefs, bartenders, tourist guides, mayors, village heads, tourism journalists, publishers, local residents of tourism destinations, and foreign nationals who had resided in Türkiye for many years.

This diversity enabled the project to document the development of tourism in Türkiye not only from an institutional perspective but also through its social, economic, and cultural dimensions.

Publications

The interviews obtained through the Türkiye Tourism Oral History Research Project were prepared for publication as a nine-volume series entitled Interview Texts of the Türkiye Tourism Oral History Research Project. In addition, a separate publication synthesizing the findings of the project and evaluating the development of tourism in Türkiye through institutions, destinations, professions, and organizations was prepared.

Publication and Dissemination Process

Although publication of the interview texts was planned immediately after completion of the project, the process did not proceed as expected. Anadolu University initially announced that the works would be published by the university press; however, this plan could not be realized because of publishing capacity limitations and various administrative reasons.

After prolonged efforts, the publication, distribution, and promotion rights of the books were transferred by Anadolu University to Nazmi Kozak in 2017. Subsequently, a support campaign led by tourism journalist Fehmi Köfteoğlu secured the financial resources necessary for publication.

Research Team and Contributors

The Türkiye Tourism Oral History Research Project was carried out under the direction of Nazmi Kozak by a research team consisting of Çağıl Hale Özel, E. Ozan Aksöz, Dilek Acar, Ebru Zencir, Hüseyin Öney, Onur Çakır, Dönüş Çiçek, Aysel Yılmaz, Duygu Yetgin, Taki Can Metin, Gözde Türktarhan, Osman Güldemir, Arzu Turan, Savaş Evren, Mune Moğol, Ece Doğantan, Burcu Kaya, Emrullah Tören, Seher Geyik, and Selman Bayrakçı. Researchers pursuing graduate studies at Anadolu University within the Faculty Development Program also participated in various stages of the project.

Significance and Contributions

The Türkiye Tourism Oral History Research Project is significant as the first comprehensive study to systematically document personal testimonies related to the development of tourism in Türkiye. Through the project, numerous primary sources concerning the institutional, economic, social, and cultural development of the tourism sector were preserved and made available for future research.

The Türkiye Tourism Oral History Research Project is widely regarded as one of the most comprehensive oral history initiatives undertaken in tourism studies, both in terms of the number of participants and the volume of archival material generated. The archive and interview transcripts constitute essential reference sources for understanding the history of tourism in Türkiye and for future tourism research.

Published Volumes

Following transcription and editorial processing, the interviews conducted within the Türkiye Tourism Oral History Research Project were prepared as a nine-volume publication series entitled Interview Texts of the Türkiye Tourism Oral History Research Project (Türkiye Turizmi Sözlü Tarih Araştırması Görüşme Metinleri). Each volume focuses on a particular destination, institution, professional group, or field within Turkish tourism.

Volume I: Side, Alanya, and Antalya

The first volume includes interviews with tourism investors, hotel managers, travel agency representatives, tourist guides, local administrators, and sector stakeholders who played important roles in the development of coastal tourism in Antalya. The transformation of Side, Alanya, and Antalya into international tourism destinations, accommodation investments, charter transportation, and regional tourism policies constitute the main themes of this volume. Interviews were conducted with Abdullah Tekin, Abdülkadir Uçar, Ahmet Barut, Ahmet Çelik, Ahmet Yalnız, Akay Şenel, Ali Rıza Aydoğan, Ali Rıza Gündoğmuş, Ali Yeşilipek, Ali Yükser, Amanda Özsoy, Aytekin Manici, Cevdet Görücü, Enis Erdem Ece, Ercan Evren, Esma Görücü, Fahri Yiğit, Faruk Nafiz Koçak, Gerda Hepgüler, Giray Ercenk, Gülçin Güner, Gürhan Kaygısız, Halil Yıldırım, Halime Şenli, Harun Friese, Hasan Sipahioğlu, Hasan Tahsin Sipahioğlu, Haşim Yetkin, Hilmi Tokuş, Hüseyin Çimrin, Hüseyin Darı, Hüseyin Hacıkadiroğlu, Hüseyin Yılmaz, Jutta Hofling, Kasım Küçükertan, Lieve Yıldırım, Mehmet Alfuran, Mehmet Çoban, Mehmet Karamancı, Mesut Kucur, Murat Karakaş, Müfit Kaptanoğlu, Naim Kıldırgıcı, Nebi Barut, Necati Azakoğlu, Necati Güven, Nermin Adalı, Nesrin Koçeroğlu, Nimet Sırcan, Numan Gümrükçüler, Nüvit Özkan, Oğuz Korum, Orhan Avtur, Ömer Selçuk Gür, Ramazan Aslan, Selami Gez, Subutay Gönen, Şevket Tokuş, Tevfik Yıldırım Höşgör, Zeki Kıldırgıcı, and Zeynel Kayınova.

Volume II: Bodrum, Fethiye, and Marmaris

The second volume contains interviews with tourism professionals, entrepreneurs, local administrators, and representatives of civil society organizations who witnessed the development of the destinations of Bodrum, Fethiye, and Marmaris. Coastal tourism, yacht tourism, marina investments, travel agency operations, and regional development processes are among the major themes addressed in this volume. Interviews were conducted with Akif Cankurt, Ali Uslu, Birol Ganioğlu, Bülent Bülbüloğlu, Cemile Acar, Cengiz Oral, Dilek Dinçer, Doğan Tugay, Duran Ergül, Erdoğan Yaşyerli, Erman Aras, Erol Uysal, Fatin Ergen, Fatma Çimen, Fatma Mansur, Günay Özütok, Günsenin Günel, Hasan Mengi, Hasan Subaşı, Hikmet Selçuk, İsmail Nejat Özbozdağ, İsmet Cengiz, Keramettin Yılmaz, Mehmet Baş, Mehmet Fidancıoğlu, Mehmet Yaldız, Mehmet Yavaş, Mete Ay, Muhammed Ali Acar, Mustafa Akgün, Mustafa Ayyıldız, Mustafa Danacı, Mustafa Paşalı, Muzaffer Konakçı, Naci Dinçer, Nurcan Dağ, Oğuz Alpözen, Oktay Işıl, Osman Nuri Kargın, Ömer Aras, Özer Olgun, Rafet Tuna, Recai Berkyar, Recep Ertuğrul Cingöz, Ruth Heinlin, Sami Akbaş, Sami Gökmen, Sedat Kirt, Selim Akgül, Serdar Eskitürk, Seval Suna, Süheyla Berkyar, Şengül Özgün, Şeref Varlı, Şükrü Denizhan, Tevfik Uslu, Tuğrul Acar, Tuncer Ergünsü, Turgut Karayiğit, Vedat Zencir, and Vicdan Temiz.

Volume III: Didim and Kuşadası

The third volume consists of interviews with investors, business owners, local administrators, and tourism professionals who played significant roles in the development of tourism in Didim and Kuşadası. Cruise tourism, second-home developments, the activities of international tour operators, and destination development are among the principal topics discussed. Interviews were conducted with Adnan Aşık, Adnan Aydoğan, Adnan Şenol, Ahmet Kireç, Ajlan Kartoğlu, Ayşe Şerifoğlu, Basri Göç, Başak Kamacı, Cahit Yimşek, Cemile Taka, Ekrem Aşık, Erdinç Göç, Erdoğan İstanköylü, Erol Erdem, Gürbüz Arıkan, Halit Şakar, Hatice Kavafoğlu, Hikmet Atilla, Hilmi Yıldırım, İsmail Aldemir, Kadir Karakaya, Mehmet Bilgin, Mehmet Ferdi Uçargönül, Mehmet Mumcu, Müjgan Şavkay, Mümin Kamacı, Nadire Köken, Nilgün Şirin, Osman E. Çolakoğlu, Ömer Germen, Ömer Selçuk, Ömer Taylan Sağnak, Özer Aydoğan, Ramazan Kamacı, Rıdvan Kavi, Salih Bankoğlu, Silvia Aktaş, Şakir Kır, Tacettin Özden, Taner Küsmez, Tayyar Cengiz, Tevfik Gönül, and Vildan Koç.

Volume IV: Akçakoca, Erdek, Cappadocia, and Uludağ

The fourth volume covers several tourism regions in Türkiye. The coastal tourism histories of Akçakoca and Erdek, the development of Cappadocia as a cultural heritage and balloon tourism destination, and the emergence of Uludağ as a winter tourism center constitute the main themes of the volume. Interviews were conducted with regional tourism entrepreneurs, local administrators, and tourism stakeholders, including Abdi İriş, Ahmet Delikanlı, Ahmet Kılınç, Ahmet Özbakır, Ahmet Tok, Ali Canbaz, Ali Rıza İlleez, Asım Durusu, Aslan Özcan, Aydın Güney, Ayhan Kırbaç, Birgül Gül, Dildan Yöntem, Ferruh Ulukardeşler, Galip Körükçü, Güray Tüysüz, Halük Beceren, Hamit Nural, Harun Çınar, Hasan Üner, Hüseyin Sayan, İbrahim Lafçı, İbrahim Vural, İhsan Çınar, İlhan Güneren, İsmail Ablak, İsmet İnce, Kürşat Numanoğlu, Lassi Müller, Mahmut Eroğlu, Mehmet Aydın, Mehmet Demirmenci, Mehmet Keçeci, Mehmet Toprak, Monique Gruart, Mualla Kutlu, Mustafa Demirci, Mustafa Durmaz, Mustafa Kaya, Mustafa Özer, Mücahit Kalkan, Mükremin Tokmak, Nazif Demir, Nebil Tahincioğlu, Osman Budak, Osman Fevzi Taşer, Ömer Tosun, Özgür Gülen, Pakize Sekban, Sami Yılmaz, Sema Sümer, Serdar Yazıcı, Serra Kınav, Seyhan Duru, Sezgin Uğur, Süreyya Aytaş, Şadi Bayraktar, Turgay Yenidünya, Yahya Yılmaz, Yusuf Gür, Yusuf Ziya Sümer, and Zafer Şenbaş.

Volume V: Tourism and Hospitality Education

The fifth volume contains interviews with academics, educational administrators, and instructors who contributed to the development of tourism education in Türkiye. The early years of tourism education, the establishment of the first tourism schools, curriculum development, and the institutionalization of tourism education are discussed in detail. Interviews were conducted with Alp Timur, Asker Kartarı, Ayhan Gökdeniz, Bahattin Rızaoğlu, Bilge Dilmen, Burhan Çil, Bülent Ağaoğlu, Cemal Kazım Demir, Cevat Çangal, Cevdet Avcıkurt, Doğan Tuncer, Doğan Yaşar Ayhan, Duygu Eren, Emin Aslan Türkel, Erdal Çetinkaya, Erhan Çakay, Erhan Sarıkaya, Faruk Andaç, Fuat Özdoruk, Füsun İstanbullu Dinçer, Gülay Özol, Gündüz Yeşil, Gürol Demir, Halil Kula, Hasan Işın Dener, Hasan Olalı, Hayrettin Ertek, Hızır Bozdoğan, İbrahim İlhan, İbrahim Yolageldi, İmran Torun, Kaya Gülersan, Kurban Ünlüönen, Mehmet Eroğlu, Meral Korzay, Meryem Akoğlan Kozak, Mithat Zeki Dinçer, Musa Bozkır, Mustafa Balaban, Mustafa Işık, Mustafa Örs, Mustafa Yaşar Şimşek, Mümin Ertürk, Münir Kutluata, Nadya Baltalı, Necdet Hacıoğlu, Nuran Oğultürk, Orhan İçöz, Orhan Kutluca, Orhan Mesut Sezgin, Öcal Usta, Ömer Faruk Özen, Özen Dallı, Rıfat Yıldız, Ruhi Yaman, Sami Taş, Savaş Gürsel, Sebahattin Karaman, Sedat Ekşi, Seha Aksü, Şinasi Gürocak, Süleyman Kılıç, Şule Çetin, Şükrü Yarcan, Tamer Bolat, Tunca Toskay, Ünver Kozanlı, and Yunus Aslan.

Volume VI: Accommodation Management in Türkiye

The sixth volume focuses on the development of the accommodation sector in Türkiye through interviews with hotel owners, general managers, investors, and hospitality executives. The volume examines the evolution of TURBAN establishments, independent hotels, hotel chains, and major transformations within the lodging industry. Interviews were conducted with Acar İpekçi, Ali Ergül, Ali İmdat Uçar, Armin Zerunyan, Avni Aker, Avni Aykut, Behice Gökakın, Bekir Akkaş, Bekir Bülent Özsoy, Cihat Arslan, Erdoğan Demirel, F. Genco Tunçay, Günaç Gürkaynak, H. Ferit Volkan, Halil Ulus, Haluk Nişlioğlu, Hamidullah Yayıkçı, Hasan Gültan, Hüseyin Cüneyt Kuru, Mengü İlban, Necla Okumuşoğlu, Nihat Akar, Nihat Demirsu, Orhan Başdoğan, Ruhi Doğu, Savaş Çolakoğlu, Serdar Kuşku, Şaban Ali Yaşaroğlu, Şinasi Hurda, Tekin Ertan, Turgay Eroğlu, Turgut Tunca, Ünsal Şınık, V. Salih Çene, Yusuf Hacısüleyman, and Yüzyıl Becerik.

Volume VII: Travel Agencies, Tourist Guiding, and Turkish Airlines

The seventh volume presents interviews with pioneering travel agency owners, professional tourist guides, and executives of Turkish Airlines. Topics addressed include package tour operations, the development of the tourist guiding profession, the contribution of air transportation to tourism growth, and the evolution of international tourism movements. Interviewees include Abbas Ataman, Ahmet Derman Bayladı, Ahmet Şensılay, Alex Baltazi, Ali Korur, Atilla Çelebi, Caner Saka, Çetin Gürcün, Çetin Kayra, Hüseyin Kurtoğulları, Jak Kasar, Kadir Uğur, M. Ergun Güvenç, M. Haluk Özyurt, Mehmet Gök, Metin Kural, Nilüfer Müncaplıoğlu, Nizamettin Şen, Oktay Alpin, Orhan Sancar, Refet Kayakıran, Rıza Epikmen, Saffet Emre Tonguç, Safi Ergün, Sinan Kocapınar, Şerif Yenen, Talha Çamaş, Tolon Sökmen, Uğur Ayyıldız, Yusuf Bolayırlı, Yusuf Duru, and Yusuf Yazıcı.

Volume VIII: Gastronomy, Tavern and Restaurant Culture, Camping and Caravan Tourism, and Tourism Publishing

The eighth volume includes interviews with chefs, restaurateurs, representatives of tavern culture, pioneers of camping and caravanning, and tourism publishers. The historical development of gastronomy in Türkiye, food and beverage management, alternative tourism movements, and tourism publishing constitute the principal themes of the volume. Interviews were conducted with Adil Tuncer, Ahmet Örs, Arif Kızıltay, Arzu Kocabaş, Aydın Demir, Ayşe Nilhan Aras, Burhan Demirçakmak, Bircan Elhan, Bülent Şenol, Celal Uzar, Cengiz Soysal, Daniel İnciyan, Deniz Gürsoy, Durmuş Çetin, Edip Kemal Eren, Ercan Tekin, Erdal Ötügen, Erdir Zat, Erhan Ekmekçi, Ersin Kalkan, Eyüb Kemal Sevinç, Fehmi Köfteoğlu, Gündüz Mutluay, Gürhan Ağkoç, H. Abdullah Korun, Halil Tuncer, Halim Bulutoğlu, Halit Madakbaş, Hasan Arslan, Hasan Hüseyin Çetinkaya, Hüseyin Varlık, Hüseyin Yıldırım, İbrahim Kahrıman, İlhan Öner, İnci Sieber, İsmet Cansever, Kemal Öztürk, Kerem Köfteoğlu, Koray Tezcan, Levent Demirçakmak, Mahmut Öztop, Mehmet Özdemir, Metin Kozak, Muharrem Güneş, Muharrem Kabasakaloğlu, Murat Aslan, Mustafa Vasfi Pakman, Müjgan Şavkay, Nazmi Kozak, Nebahat Şansal, Nedim Albayrak, Neşe Soysal, Nevin Halıcı, Niyazi Demir, Nuri Çakıroğlu, Osman Sevinç, Özay Akar, Raci Bostancı, Refik Arslan, Reşat Kahraman, Salih Bozkurt, Satılmış Karakaş, Suat Töre, Tan Morgül, Tan Yusuf Şimşek, Tolga Germiyanoğlu, Vasıf Gürsoy, Vedat Başaran, Vefa Zat, Veli Özer, Yıldız Can, and Zeki Açıkgöz.

Volume IX: Institutions, Organizations, and Tourism Movements

The ninth volume focuses on public institutions, professional organizations, tourism movements, and the institutionalization of tourism in Türkiye. Interviews were conducted with representatives and former officials of the Ministry of Tourism, Tourism Bank of Türkiye, TURBAN, the Touring and Automobile Association of Türkiye (TURİNG), the National Youth Organization of Türkiye (TMGT), the National Student Federation of Türkiye (TMTF), and other influential organizations. The volume also addresses tourism investment, tourism promotion, the hippie movement, and the broader institutional development of tourism in Türkiye. Interviews were conducted with Abdülkadir Ateş, Adnan Öztaktaş, Ahmet Yalnız, Alev Coşkun, Alican Alkan, Ayhan Kılınç, Bahattin Yücel, Burhan Kızılöz, Bülent Akarcalı, Deniz Tüfekçi, Engin Türker, Erdoğan Zorlu, Erol Özudoğru, Ertuğrul Günay, Feyzullah Yavuz Ulugün, Gülsen Kahraman, Güman Kızıltan, Haluk Akar, Hami Fidanoğlu, Hasan Işın Dener, Hüseyin Muti Akgün, Hüsnü Gümüş, İhsan Çetin, İlhan Evliyaoğlu, Kasım Zoto, M. Sinan Genim, Mahmut Aksak, Mehmet Özdemir, Mevhibe Can, Mukadder Sezgin, Mustafa İsen, Mustafa Siyahhan, Mustafa Türkmen, Mükerrem Taşçıoğlu, Müzeyyen Acır, Namık Çolpan, Nihat Boytüzün, Nurdoğan Şengüler, Nüzhet Kahraman, Oktay Varlier, Özgür Özarslan, Remzi Erbaş, Saruhan Hatipoğlu, Serdar Karcılıoğlu, Serhan Altınordu, Serpil Varol, Seyhun Örs, Sinan Acarer, Tavit Köletavitoğlu, Tunay Akoğlu, Turgut Gür, Uğur İbrahimhakkıoğlu, Yaşar Önol, Yavuz Zeytinoğlu, Zafer Cengiz, and Zafer Yılmaz.

Together, the nine volumes constitute one of the most comprehensive oral history collections ever produced on tourism. They document the experiences, memories, and perspectives of 522 individuals who contributed to the development of tourism in Türkiye and provide an invaluable primary source for future research on tourism history, policy, education, entrepreneurship, hospitality, transportation, gastronomy, and destinatio