Metaphorical Models of Marketing: Changing Türkiye's Tourist Experience

Abstract : In this study, the role of metaphorical models is examined in the language of tourism marketing and cultural representation in Türkiye. Drawing on cognitive linguistics and discourse analysis, it also argues that the metaphors are more than simply poetic turns of phrase but have cognate status as frames, shaping visitors’ expectations, sense of cultural belonging, and emotional investment. In a country with such a deep history and wide-ranging traditions, metaphors should be powerful for bringing ideas down to earth for travelers. The article demonstrates how destination marketing uses figurative expression to communicate complex ideas about culture, like Cappadocia, which is known as a “natural gallery,” Türkiye as a “bridge between East and West,” and the Aegean coast as a “peaceful haven.” It’s all the ways that physical landscapes might map onto symbolic narratives. These metaphors grant brands the complicated identities that make travelers feel more real, prouder to be from their country, and emotionally involved. Multimodal metaphors in Turkish Airlines’ promo: images, music, and stories are conveying hospitality and nation. The paper also studies visitor complaints and evaluations, showing the operationalization of metaphorical framing in ordinary language and the way it affects perceived quality, culture, and service. Comparative perspectives show how Turkish tourist metaphors differ from those in Thailand and New Zealand, which emphasize spiritual warmth and adventure, and how much Türkiye relies on cultural wealth and history as symbolic capital. Translation is sometimes criticized because cultures mingle and metaphors may be lost or misinterpreted. The research argues that metaphorical models are crucial to Türkiye’s tourist identity, destination brand, and response to intercultural communication, marketing, and cultural representation discourses.