Turkish tourism revenues are estimated to reach $10 billion by the end of 2001, according Deputy Tourism Minister Mustafa Tazar. The minister added that eight million tourists visited Turkey in the first eight months of the current year, and anticipated that another 4.5 million tourists will arrive by year’s-end.
The Turkish official also said that his government does not execute any new security measures against incoming Arab and Muslim tourists, reported Al-Hayat.
Tazar confirmed that an average of 500,000 American tourists visit Turkey every year, however, Turkey expects only 400,000 US nationals to visit this following recent terrorist attacks on New York and Washington. Americans constitute less than one percent of the total 12.5 million tourists who visit Turkey on average each year.
In the year 2000 the country was visited by 10 million foreigners and the local tourist industry made almost eight billion dollars in revenues. The major asset of the country today is the fact that the national currency has fallen against the main currencies by more than 50 percent in the recent months. — (Mena Report)
© 2001 Mena Report (www.menareport.com)
