Turkey aims to woo 1 million Chinese this year

The deal offers a 10 percent discount to Chinese tourists this year in airport stores at Istanbul, Ankara and Izmir airports.

But despite the strenuous promotion efforts, Gurcun says: "Although we're ready to welcome them (Chinese visitors) we have not promoted Turkey in China efficiently."

Meanwhile, both Gurcun and Ibis want the Turkish government to formulate a policy to boost cultural interactions between Turkey and China.

For instance, they want the Turkish authorities to make popular Turkish cultural products like TV shows and soap operas available in China as has been done in the Middle East and Argentina.

Istanbul and its Ottoman palaces are now among the major attractions for Arabs who watch the Turkish soap opera The Magnificent Century, which is based on the love life of Ottoman sultan Suleiman I.

Also, after the soap opera was aired in Argentina, the number of Argentines traveling to Istanbul, the capital of the then Ottoman Empire, skyrocketed to 100,000 from a meager 5,000 earlier.

Tourism professionals also want Chinatowns in Turkey's big cities.

"Turkey could create Chinatowns, in which the Chinese could promote their culture and their values to the Turkish people," says Ibis. "This is what is missing here."

Gurcun, however, says that Turkey is doing its best to provide security to tourists.

"Security measures have been tripled, mainly in Istanbul and along the Mediterranean coast," he says. "We have to improve our communication and explain this to the Chinese."