PROBLEMS IN TURKISH TOURISM IN THE AFTERMATH OF THE SECOND WORLD WAR (1945-1949)

World War Two interrupted tourism activities in Turkey like all around the world. In Turkey, which didn’t de facto enter the war but was faced with the danger of entering at any moment, alongside military precautions taken during the process in question administrative, political and economic policies were also shaped according to the conditions of the war, and similarly social life remained under the close influence of the battle. As to the post-war period the desires of Soviet Union for Anatolia continued to bother the country. Despite these negative circumstances, tourism in Turkey protected its place on the agenda due to its probable contributions to the country’s economic development, the rise of its communication and interaction with the other countries and its publicity. However, deficits in transport activities and means, inadequacies in lodging facilities, restrictions in passport, visa, customs and residence transactions, weaknesses in the understanding of tourism training, preservation of historical artifacts and museology, problems like unplanned urbanization and high cost of living, which became much more evident within the conditions of the war, are among the factors which prevented the development of tourism activities in the country after the war. In this study, the situation of Turkey in the field of tourism after World War Two, which caused important changes in the administrative, political, social and economic structure of the country, is determined and the factors which adversely influenced the development of tourism and touristic activities in the country are dealt with. In the scope of the study, tourism infrastructure and problems in the country are assessed in their historical context and in this way, it is aimed to contribute to the existing studies in the field of tourism history and also to bring light to the new studies in the future.