Turkey continues its provocative advertising campaigns with the Turkaegean trademark, once again presenting the Aegean Sea… as Turkish. Specifically, as shown in photographs by parapolitika.gr, Istanbul Airport (IST) continues to display the tourism campaign titled “Turkaegean: Coast of Happiness.”
EU cancellation of the “Turkaegean” trademark
It should be recalled that last January, approximately two years after the appeal by then Deputy Minister of Development and Investment Adonis Georgiadis, the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) decided to cancel the “Turkaegean” trademark.
Notably, in 2021, Turkey’s Tourism Promotion and Development Agency (TGA) filed to register the “Turkaegean” trademark with the EU Intellectual Property Office. However, in February 2023, under Minister Adonis Georgiadis, the Hellenic Republic filed a cancellation request, with the case handled by the Greek Industrial Property Organization to challenge the Turkish organization’s trademark. The result of these actions was the trademark’s cancellation.
The “Turkaegean: Coast of Happiness” tourism campaign
Turkey’s tourism campaign titled “Turkaegean: Coast of Happiness” promotes Turkish coasts as the “Turkish Aegean,” using the term “Turkaegean” in English, “Turkiye Egéene” in French, and “Türkische Ägäis” in German. The video created for this campaign even included elements that mirror Greek tourism, such as warm sunshine, shades of blue, endless beaches, fishing villages, and numerous ancient monuments. Specifically, among other locations, it showcased the Asia Minor coasts of regions with rich Greek history such as Smyrna, Ephesus, Ayvalik, and Pergamon in western Turkey.
