To be Foreigner or Tourist in Turkey

Turkish people are courteous to strangers. They are hospitable people. Turks have an expression about visitors: “Tanrı misafiri” (“God’s guest”—a visitor must be looked after as if he had been sent to you as an envoy from God). Other Turkish proverbs that reflect this attitude are “A guest comes with ten blessing, eats one and leaves nine,” and “The master of the house is the servant of the guest.” The foreigner who is the guest of a Turk will experience royal treatment.

The wealthier sections of Turkish society will have traveled, and may even have lived abroad for education or work. The rest of the nation forms their view of foreigners through Hollywood films, foreign serials shown on Turkish TV, and meeting tourists. This gives them a selective view of what life is like abroad, and foreigners are like. Many less well-educated lower-class Turks have impression that streets of Europe and America are paved with gold, and want to emigrate. They may find it hard to understand why one who has a sought-after foreign passport might wish to make the opposite journey.

While Turks believe, in general, that life abroad may be better than in Turkey, national pride means that they will not readily admit to this. In general, Europeans and Americans are considered to be well-educated, to have good business ethics, and to be strong in areas such as planning ahead. However, they are also considered to display negative qualities such as individualism and competitiveness, and to be distant or cold.

In business, many Turkish companies are eager to work in partnership with foreign firms as foreigners are seen as bringing know-how, in the form of either management practice or specialist knowledge. The Turkish partner would bring expertise in distribution, would be familiar with regulations, and would have a network of local contacts. Some of the most successful companies in Turkey are such joint ventures.

However, some ultra-nationalists believe that there should be no need for foreign goods or foreign-run companies in Turkey. When a problem arises often blame will be shifted on to “foreign provocation.”