Cultural tourism as a tool for urban regeneration in Istanbul

Abstract

Over the last decades, cities have been acting as entrepreneurs in attracting visitors. They tend to develop marketing strategies to have a competitive advantage over the others. Cultural tourism, one of the main motivations behind these marketing strategies, has been widely adapted as an urban policy. This paper discusses how cultural tourism has become a tool for urban regeneration and how a sustainable and profitable cultural tourism can be compatible with urban regeneration policies in Istanbul. This study also evaluates Istanbul 2010: The European Capital of Culture, which has been one of the agenda topics in the last few years. Thus, we regard the European Capital of Culture event as a stage to present developments in cultural tourism and its effects on urban regeneration. © 2011 WIT Press.