Ten of the most visited provinces by tourists in Turkey also lead in the field of industrial property rights. Trademark registrations and geographical indication applications from these ten provinces constitute approximately 70% of all applications made in Turkey.
Ten of the provinces most visited by tourists in Turkey are also at the top in terms of industrial property rights. According to the Turkish Patent and Trademark Office (TÜRKPATENT), the number of trademark applications and geographical indication applications from these ten provinces in 2023 and the first five months of 2024 accounts for approximately 70% of all applications made in Turkey. In 2023, there were 168,850 domestic trademark applications across Turkey, and the top ten tourism provinces accounted for 117,767 of these applications. In the first five months of 2024, Turkey had a total of 65,295 trademark applications, with 45,478 coming from these provinces. These figures represent about 70% for each category. These provinces are also significant players in the field of geographical indications, with a total of 351 geographical indication files processed, 94 of which are still in progress.
Growth momentum in Class 43 services
Evaluating the data, Kemal Yamankaradeniz, Chairman of the Board of Support Patent, stated, 'Class 43 includes ‘food and beverage services’ and ‘temporary accommodation services’. According to TÜRKPATENT, last year there were a total of 19,678 trademark applications in this class, with 19,080 being domestic and 598 foreign. In the first five months of this year, there were 8,110 trademark applications, of which 7,973 were domestic and 137 foreign. These figures are evidence of the rapid rise in gastronomy and hospitality services in our tourism regions.'
Impact of geographical indications in tourism regions
Yamankaradeniz also noted that the most valuable increase in these tourism regions is in geographical indications because they are a quality indicator showing the connection between the product and its geographical area. 'Today, there is a phenomenon known as gastronomic tourism worldwide. People travel long distances and make significant expenditures to consume famous foods or products at their place of origin. On the other hand, by protecting local producers, it is possible to support rural development and local branding both in the domestic and global markets. Tours are organized to France for cheese tastings and to Italy for pasta or pizza. Therefore, the more we increase and promote our geographical indication products, the more we contribute to economic growth and the continuity of tourism revenue increases.' he added.