espite the wealth of resources that Turkey possesses, it is generally believed that this tourism destination has not reached its potential. Turkey is restricted by its international image, its centralization and the limited resources that are available for marketing and communication activities. Furthermore, in the past, Turkey has focused on 3S (sun, sea and sand) mass tourism, targeting lower income level tourists. As capacity has increased steadily in coastal areas, the bargaining power of tour operators has grown, bringing an increasing pressure for lower prices. The new strategies of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism aim at changing this focus and diversifying the tourism product of Turkey. Moreover, a conscious effort is made to attract higher income level groups. The purpose of this article is to provide a critical analysis of current marketing strategies of Turkey in tourism, within the theoretical background of the destination marketing literature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]