@article{2019,title={COUNTRY IMAGE EFFECT OF TURKEY ON INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS' DESTINATION CHOICE: AN EXAMPLE OF KYRGYZSTAN},abstractNode={Economic and socio-cultural effects created by international students' mobility have reached a level that shouldn't be ignored. There is a growing global competition between countries to gain higher share of international student market. The Republic of Turkey is one of the main actors of this market. One of the factors influencing international students' country preferences is a country image. In this context, this study aims to reveal the image of Turkey as an international education destination in terms of Kyrgyz students and to evaluate the effect of country image on destination choice. For this purpose, first of all, indicators related to the global movement of students, leading countries for international students and the position of Turkey are discussed on the basis of secondary data. Then, the primary data obtained from undergraduate students (n=1000) studying at four big universities in Bishkek (capital city of Kyrgyzstan) through questionnaire method are evaluated. The research findings showed that overall Kyrgyz students' have positive perceptions toward the image of Turkey, moreover the results revealed three different market segments (low, medium and high) in terms of perceived country image. Country image dimensions such the quality of education and life, symphaty and interest have positive effects on destination choice. On the other hand, historical and socio-cultural characteristics and human characteristics negatively affect the country preferences. The findings of this study are thought to provide important clues both for Republic of Turkey and Kyrgyz Republic. Consequently, international student mobility is of great importance not only for hosting countries, but also in terms of source countries.},author={Azamat MAKSÜDÜNOV-Hasan GÜL - Meerim ASANBEKOVA},year={2019},journal={Journal of Turkish Studies}}