Tourist arrivals to Turkey declined due to Russia’s difficult economic situation. According to Turkish Culture and Tourism Ministry, the number of international travelers visiting Turkey decreased by 2.88 percent in August to 5.13 million compared to the same period of 2014.
The number of foreigners visiting the country was announced as 25.51 million in the first eight months of the year, a 0.89 percent decrease compared to the same period of the previous year.
In August, top 5 entry points
1- Antalya 36,77% (1. 886.432)
2- Istanbul 26,03% (1.335. 335)
3- Muğla 11,61% (595.912)
4- Edirne 7,65% (392.452)
5- Artvin 4,62% (236.842)
During Jan.-Aug., top 5 entry points
1- İstanbul 33,03% (8.423.879)
2- Antalya 31,13% (7.940.516)
3- Edirne 8,80% (2.244.207)
4- Muğla 8,52% (2.171.956)
5- Artvin 5,13% (1.307.385)
In August 2015, Germany are the most visiting nation with 842.024 travelers (16.41%), Russian travelers ranked second with 638.469 (12.44%) and Brits are third with 430.760 (8.40%).
Germany continues to be the top source market for the Jan.-Aug. period, 3.750.082 (14,70%) German travelers visited Turkey, followed by Russian travelers (2.779.343 – 10.90%). Brits ranked 3rd with 1.802.629 tourists (7.07%).
According to ministry data, the number of Russians visiting Turkey decreased by 20.72 percent in the first eight months of the year compared to the same period of 2014. The number of French citizens visiting the country also dropped by 17.39 percent, Italians by 23.9 percent and Japanese by 33.59 percent over the same period.
Turkey’s tourism income decreased by 13.8 percent to $7.73 billion in the second quarter compared to the same period of the previous year. Turkey financed around 53 percent of its current account deficit last year through net tourism income.
