Ottoman Social History – M.A., 2002 (Master's Thesis: Jews in the Ottoman Social Structure )
He completed his doctoral studies in the Business Administration Department at Wirtschafts University in Vienna, Austria.
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
SSince 1987 he has worked as a tour guide for a number of major tour operators as well as working as a semi-professional travel photographer. His work appears in various magazines and newspapers as well as on numerous American and Australian websites. His photographs have been used by the Turkish Ministry of Tourism in the country’s tourism campaigns. He held his first photographic exhibition in a 1500-year-old Byzantine cistern in Istanbul in 2007. Tonguc is also a travel consultant for TRT (Turkish Radio and Television).
His interests include house and garden design, and his work has been featured in magazines such as Maison Française, House Beautiful and Home Art. He has taken part in a number of panels and seminars on Turkey, and has appeared on numerous occasions on TV programmes such as CNN International’s “Earth Matters”. He was also the narrator of a program on ABC TV’s “Good Morning America” show. He writes on a regular basis for Hürriyet, Turkey’s biggest-selling daily, and his articles appear in various specialist publications, such as Voyager, Skylife, Hillsider, Leisure and Travel, Asklepius, VW and Elit magazine.
BOOKS
2007, 101 Must-See Places in Turkey. Published in Turkish and English, it was Turkey’s best selling travel book in 2007.
2008, 101 Must-See Places in Europe went through three editions in two months.
AWARDS
In 2005 he received the “Professional Excellence Award” of the Istanbul Rotary Club.
In 2005 he was named “Turkey’s Most Traveled Tour Guide” by Turkey’s Professional Tour Guides’ Association, having traveled professionally in more than 100 countries.
In 2006 he was voted Turkey’s “Travel Writer of the Year” by TUREB, the Turkish Professional Tour Guides Association.
In 2007 he was voted “Best Travel Writer” in the White Crystal Awards.
In 2007 he was voted “Best Professional Guide of Turkey” by SKAL INTERNATIONAL.
In 2008 101 Must-See Places in Europe was voted “Book of the Year” by Turkey’s Professional Tour Guides Association.
REFERENCES
Candice Bergen (actress), Eric Schmidt (CEO of Google), Carlo Azeglio Ciampi ( Former Italian President), Frances Mayes (Author of Under the Tuscan Sun), Ian Schragger (pioneer of the designer hotels movement, founder of Studio 54 N.Y.), Adam Sher ( CEO of American Idol), Molly Sims (top model and Las Vegas TV series actress), Fred Hayman (founder of Giorgio of Beverly Hills)
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