Tourism assessment report released

According to the report, changing dynamics in the tourism industry have also influenced trends and priorities. Turkey's tourism revenues rose by 27 percent year-on-year in the first half of 2023 to 21.7 billion US dollars. The Champions League final played between Inter Milan and Manchester City in Istanbul on June 10 provided an economic contribution of approximately 75 million euros (80 million US dollars) to the host city.

Purpose: entertainment and cultural activities

Turkey became the 5th most visited country in 2022 with a total of 51 million visitors. This figure was reflected as 22 million in the first half of 2023, an increase of 21 percent compared to the first half of 2022. In the first half of 2023, the purpose of visit for travelers was recorded as “travel, entertainment, sports, and cultural activities” at a rate of 76.2 percent, and “visiting relatives and friends” at a rate of 16.6 percent. The rate of those coming to Turkey for “shopping” remained at 3 percent, similar to previous years.

Russians in 1st place again

The data shows that Russian visitors, who increased by 34 percent compared to the previous year to reach 5.2 million people, constituted the largest group of tourists to Turkey in the first half of 2023. Visitors from Russia account for 13 percent of the total number of visitors, while tourists from Germany, in second place, account for 12 percent. The number of visitors from the UK also increased by 12 percent compared to the same period of the previous year, placing it in 3rd place.

Istanbul breaks tourist record of the last 5 years

Istanbul hosted 11 million 524 thousand foreign visitors in the first half of 2023. The rate of foreign visitors visiting Istanbul in the first half of 2023 increased by 16.22 percent compared to the same period of the previous year. Similar to previous years, Russia, Germany, Iran, the USA, Saudi Arabia, and the UK were at the top of the list in terms of the number of visitors coming to Istanbul. While Istanbul hosted 16.02 million foreign tourists alone in 2022, the highest number of foreign visitors again came from Russia, followed by Germany and Iran.

News Source: 12punto