ALBAWABA – Turkey received more than 36.75 million tourists in the first 8 months of 2023, boosting inbound tourism in Turkey by 13.95 percent, compared to the same period last year.
Sky News Arabia reported that 692 thousand tourists arrived in Turkey via cruise ships, according to a statement by the Turkish Ministry of Culture and Tourism on Friday.
Russia came in first, with 4.35 million visitors arriving in Turkey, followed by Germany and Britain, with 4.08 million and 2.65 million, respectively.
August saw an increase in the inbound tourism in Turkey by 5.65 percent, compared to August 2022.
Germany topped the list for August, following by Russia and the United Kingdom, Iran and Poland, the official statement said.
According to World Data, Turkey received 29.93 million tourists in 2021, generating more than $27.9 billion in receipts.
Tourists visiting an attraction site in Ephesus, Turkey – Shutterstock
Inbound tourism in Turkey totalled more than 9.53 million in the first four months of 2023, up almost a third on last year.
Industry officials expected an average 20 percent increase in inbound tourism in Turkey from the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) in June.
“A powerful momentum will begin in our country from the second week of June, with the schools going on a break here,” Muberra Eresin, head of the Turkish Hoteliers Association, was quoted as saying.
Almost 5 million tourists arrived in 2022 from the Gulf and Middle Eastern countries. The number is expected to reach at least 6 million this year, official data reportedly showed.
For the first quarter of the year, tourism income rose 32.3 percent year-on-year to $8.7 billion, according to data from the Turkish Statistical Institute.
Meanwhile, the government said foreign arrivals and income would likely reach 60 million and $56 billion in 2023 before hitting 90 million and $100 billion in 2028.
