Türkiye’s Soft Power Strategy: TV, Food and Tourism

For much of the twentieth century, the story of Anglo-Turkish relations was written in the language of geopolitics: NATO strategy, defence procurement, and the Mediterranean balance of power. Today, however, Türkiye’s influence in the UK is increasingly exercised through subtler channels. Tourism, cuisine, and television, everyday points of contact rather than high diplomacy, have become some of the most effective tools of Turkish soft power.

Tourism has been the clearest success. British travel to Türkiye has not only recovered after the pandemic but surged to record levels: from just over two million visitors in 2019 to nearly 4.5 million in 2024, with more than five million expected in 2025. Coastal destinations such as Antalya, Bodrum, and Fethiye are now staples of the British holiday market, supported by an explosion in air connectivity from regional UK airports. The attractions are clear, value for money, long summers, and modern infrastructure, but the effect runs deeper. Regular travel has fostered familiarity, and even a sense of comfort, that was absent a generation ago. In some towns, expatriate communities and retiree enclaves have blurred the line between “tourist” and “resident,” creating year-round ties that anchor bilateral goodwill at a local level.

Cuisine has been another powerful instrument. What scholars term gastrodiplomacy, the projection of national image through food, is well-suited to Türkiye’s culinary traditions. With roots stretching from Central Asia to the Mediterranean, Turkish cuisine embodies the country’s history as a crossroads of civilizations. In Britain, its presence has broadened from late-night kebab shops to high-end establishments in London and regional cities. Dishes such as meze, pide, and baklava are increasingly familiar to British diners, while Turkish coffee and tea rituals introduce elements of cultural practice as well as taste. This culinary visibility has enhanced Türkiye’s image as welcoming, diverse, and modern, while also reinforcing people-to-people connections in everyday settings.

Television has provided a third avenue. Since the early 2000s, Turkish dramas have grown into a global export industry, reaching audiences across Latin America, the Middle East, and South Asia. In Britain, their following is more niche but nonetheless significant. Historical epics like Diriliş: Ertuğrul and period dramas such as Magnificent Century are accessible via streaming platforms and appeal to viewers seeking alternatives to Hollywood or British productions. These dramas present Türkiye not only as a landscape of scenic beauty but also as a society with values, family, community, resilience, that resonate across cultures. They serve, in effect, as cultural ambassadors, shaping perceptions at a distance.

Individually, these strands might appear limited; collectively, they form a soft power architecture that complements and sometimes outweighs traditional diplomacy. Millions of British holidays, the spread of Turkish restaurants in urban centres, and the quiet influence of television narratives all contribute to an image of Türkiye as approachable, hospitable, and culturally rich. This reservoir of familiarity and goodwill is particularly valuable at a time when state-to-state relations can be strained by security or political disagreements.

The lesson is straightforward but important: in an era of shifting global power, Türkiye has learned that influence need not depend on hard power alone. Tourism, food, and television, seemingly ordinary domains, have become instruments of foreign policy, binding Türkiye and the United Kingdom together in ways that official communiqués alone cannot achieve.