Analysis of Turkey’s Foreign Tourism Potential with Panel Gravity Model

This research aims to determine the foreign tourism potential of Turkey to develop different markets outside of existing tourism markets by using the panel gravity model and the cross-sectional data obtained from the tourists who visited Turkey in 2016. As a result of the study, it was determined that the number of tourists visiting Turkey is affected positively by the economic development factor and negatively by the distance factor of the country of origin. It was also determined the original country’s -where tourists come from- big population has any effect on tourists’ flow. In addition, it was seen that the factor of having an affiliation with Turkey (historical, cultural, ethnical) or having a common border has an increasing effect on tourist flow, although the factor of being a Muslim country has a decreasing effect on tourist flow. The research is important in terms of changing Turkey’s image as a country visited by certain countries and carried out by certain tourism activities. It is also important in terms of determining the factors that affect Turkey’s tourist flow and determining the foreign tourism potential of Turkey in this direction