Potential of Cultural Tourism Between Central Asian Turkic Republics and Turkey for Getting Sustainable Competitive Advantage in Tourism Sector

Abstract

In the recent years, intense competition, economic stagnation and globalisation have shown their effects on tourism sector as all other sectors. In tourism industry, there is a search not just for inter-firms collobaration but for inter-countries. In this search, countries and firms that manage to get competitive advantage would capture a chance to be one step further. Global changes affecting tourism sector needs developing countries such as Turkey which is a developing economy and Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan in which tourism sector is newly developing countries to establish common strategies and act together. Identifing sustainable tourism policies, it should be considered how cultural and religious factors to be utilised in these developing tourism. In framework of common tourism policies among Turkish Republics, consciousness towards culture and history among those states should be increased and some brand cities along side the Turkic States to be formed. Considering the current potantial of Semerkand, Buhara, Merv and Hiva etc.- can attract much more tourists with intense publicity campaign and improve service quality through working together with Turkish Firms. Compering the other rival countries in this sector, improving cultural tourism would provide competitive advantage for all of the Turkic States in Central Asia as well as Turkey.