Turkish Airlines may not be top-of-mind when it comes to airline brands among Montrealers, but the airline is aiming to help change that perception with a major presence at this year’s Festival International de Jazz de Montréal.
The airline, which entered the Montreal market in 2014 with three weekly flights to Istanbul, Turkey is sponsoring both free outdoor shows and ticketed indoor shows in its role as an official sponsor.
It’s also hosting an interactive festival that is “almost a festival within the festival” to promote travel to Turkey, said Osman Sahan, Montreal general manager of Turkish Airlines.
“It is important for us to be a part of the Montreal community, and initiatives such as the jazz festival provide us a key opportunity to be a part of Montreal-identified events,” says Sahan.
The airline is sponsoring an indoor concert series at the Maison Symphonique that includes artists such as Wynton Marsalis and Chick Corea Trio.
It’s also presenting the L’Escale Turkish Airlines site with a tourism showcase that includes a photo exhibit on Turkey, a Turkish tourism information booth and Turkish artists who will present on-site demonstrations of traditional calligraphy, pottery and Ebru (painting on water).
L’Escale Turkish Airlines includes the Turkish Airlines/CBC/Radio-Canada stage, which is presenting two outdoor concerts every night.
The site also features a social media-driven photo booth initiative in which festival-goers will be invited to cultivate their own #TKJazzJourney, starting in Montreal to Istanbul, and then choose one from among 25 of Turkish Airlines’ most popular destinations.
Turkish Airlines, which now flies to more international destinations than any other airline, has emerged as a competitor to Gulf carriers like Emirates and Qatar in the battle for connecting flights in the region.
Participants will receive a personalized photo of their journey, with a picture of them in each of the three cities. The airline will also offer two roundtrip business class tickets to Istanbul.
A 12-member Turkish dance troupe is also performing nightly at the festival and pop and reggae groups will give performances as well. In addition, festival-goers can purchase Turkish cuisine – from bulgur salad to kebabs – and drinks.
Turkish Airlines is partnering with the Turkish Culture and Tourism Office – which is not an official sponsor of the jazz festival – to run the event which runs until the festival’s end on July 9.
It’s the second consecutive year the airline has been involved with the jazz festival, but this year’s initiative is much larger.
Toronto-based Charming Media became the public relations agency of record in Canada for Turkish Airlines earlier this year.
“We aim to increase brand awareness in the mind of the public for both Turkish Airlines and Turkey as a country,” said Sahan, who spoke with Marketing before Tuesday’s suicide attacks at Istanbul’s Ataturk Airport that killed 43 people.
Tourism to Turkey has already suffered a dramatic decline this year in the wake of several terrorist attacks attributed to ISIS and Kurdish separatists. Tourists have been killed in recent months in attacks at a park near the iconic Blue Mosque and Hagia Sophia, as well as on the popular Istiklal pedestrian shopping district.
