Turkey attracted 17.6 million foreign visitors from January to September, up 86% from the same period last year, the country’s Culture and Tourism Ministry said on Thursday.
Despite the significant improvement, the nine-month figure did not overtake the pre-pandemic level of 2019.
ANTALYA TOP DRAW FOR VISITORS
The Mediterranean resort city of Antalya was the top draw for foreign visitors with a 39% share, attracting 6.8 million foreigners in January-September.
SHARES OF ISTANBUL AND EDIRNE
It was followed by Istanbul, Turkey’s largest city by population with 33% share, and Edirne in northwestern Turkey, which borders both Bulgaria and Greece, with a 10% share.
The ministry data showed that the country welcomed 21.5 million visitors, including Turkish citizens living abroad, in the first nine months of this year.
3.5 MILLION VISITORS CAME FROM RUSSIA
Russians made up 20% or 3.5 million of all visitors, followed by Germans with 13%, Ukrainians with 1.8%, Bulgarians with 5%, and Iranians with 4%.
In September, the country saw 3.5 million foreign arrivals, rising by 60% on an annual basis.