Semiotic Analysis of Tourism Promotional Film: An Example of an İstanbul Promotional Film

Abstract

The purpose of this research is to analyze the promotional film “Istanbul is The New Cool” prepared by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism from a semiotic point of view, to discover the indicators in the promotional film and to reveal what is meant to be told from a holistic perspective. Considering Istanbul, which is an important tourism destination and hosting the highest number of tourists in Turkey, in the promotional film, the fact that the film is quite new and the promotional film in the social media is interesting for the target audience necessitated this research. In the research, the qualitative research method was taken as a basis and a semiotic analysis technique was used to examine and evaluate the promotional film. The promotional film is semiotically analyzed according to the model developed by Ferdinand de Saussure and Roland Barthes. The examination of the promotional film, which constitutes the sample of the research, was made with the document analysis technique. Each section selected from the promotional film has been subjected to a detailed examination in the light of the concepts of indicator, denotation, connotation, code, sequence, syntagm, diachrony, synchronicity, myth, metaphor, metonymy, text, slogan, logo, and emblem. As a result of the research, it has been determined that the Istanbul promotional film prepared by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism presents images from thirty different places covering the historical and touristic destinations of Istanbul and includes various historical, cultural, and artistic indicators. In addition, in the promotional film, it has been determined that Istanbul has various transportation, entertainment, eating and drinking, and shopping options. Istanbul is reflected in the promotional film as a metropolitan city with a touristic attraction and a versatile city that appeals to all kinds of tourists.