Washington, DC – Travel bloggers shared their experiences during the first-ever White House Travel Blogger Summit, emphasizing the importance of study abroad as an outlet and as a developmental tool for the millennial generation.
Turkish Airlines announced that it would invite all bloggers in attendance to a follow-up summit in Istanbul. The White House and Turkish Airlines partnered together for a Widen your World in the Comfort of Turkish Airlines reception and dinner at the Newseum in Washington, DC at which the top travel bloggers from across the country enjoyed Turkish coffee, tea, and baklava while discussing the benefits of cross-cultural education, cultural exchange and boosting student travel, study, work and volunteerism abroad.
The event followed a day-long summit planned by the White House and featured individual remarks by senior White House and State Department officials, the General Manager of Turkish Airlines’ Washington D.C. Office Handan Çörekçi, and high-profile members of the media.
“The travel bloggers in attendance today are at the forefront of expressing those amazing experiences of the world yet to be explored by others. You are instilling that sense of wonder and excitement that results in greater awareness and a real-world education that is truly priceless,” said Çörekçi, who providing opening remarks at the dinner.
Shannon Green, Senior Director for Global Engagement at the National Security Council, was among the keynote speakers at the dinner. She spoke to the importance of travel to build relationships that are larger and deeper and discussed how social media can play an important role in promoting study abroad, while Elizabeth Thorp, Editor-in-chief of Capitol File magazine, discussed the necessity of global experiences to inspire American youth to see “that there is always more out there!”
Using the hashtag #DiscoverWithTurkish, event attendees shared highlights, which included pictures with special guest Turkish Airlines’ Flying Chef, flight attendants, and international students from Turkey, Lithuania, Vietnam, and Pakistan who are currently studying in America.
The evening concluded with Turkish Airlines announcing that all the travel bloggers invited to be a part of the White House Travel Blogger Summit were invited to attend the next Travel Blogger Summit in Istanbul.
The Widen your World in the Comfort of Turkish Airlines dinner and reception marked the fourth anniversary of the airline’s non-stop daily flights from Dulles International Airport to Istanbul while highlighting its award-winning in-flight cuisine served by Flying Chefs, brand new CIP Lounge in Istanbul, young aircraft fleet and the ever-growing destination map.
