A Turkish-american Joint Initiative on Tourism: The Example of Istanbul Hilton Hotel (1948-1955)

Abstract

Türkiye has a unique geography where tourism activities can be carried out in almost every season in terms of natural conditions and climate characteristics. When it comes to tourism, Istanbul is often the first city that comes to mind in Türkiye. However, despite all the features that Istanbul has in terms of tourism, it has not been able to keep up with the development of modern tourism in the world. This situation has revealed the inadequacy of touristic facilities in Istanbul due to the developments in tourism after World War II. The lack of hotels to meet the needs and desires of domestic and foreign tourists in Istanbul pushed the tourism sector and administrative managers to search for solutions. These searches were partially solved with the development of Turkish-American relations that began in the post-war foreign policy. As a matter of fact, through the Economic Cooperation Administration (ECA) established in 1948 in line with the Marshall Plan, the United States provided support to various countries, especially in Europe, to develop tourism. With this support, Türkiye managed to build the Hilton Hotel in Istanbul in partnership with an American company. This study is based on the construction process of the Istanbul Hilton Hotel, which is considered to be a reflection of Turkish-American cooperation in the field of tourism, and the events that took place. Thus, the goal is to determine the influence of America on the development of tourism in Türkiye. With the Hilton Hotel, an example of the introduction of American cultural elements into Turkish architecture and tourism is presented. This study concerning the Hilton Hotel in Istanbul which brought many firsts to the Turkish tourism sector, was mainly prepared by using the U.S. National Archives, the records of the State Department, as well as local and foreign periodicals of the period. © 2024, Hacettepe University. All rights reserved.