Baku, Azerbaijan, Feb. 4
By Rufiz Hafizoglu - Trend:
In 2018, 1.35 million tourists from Central Asia (Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, and Turkmenistan) visited Turkey, the Turkish Culture and Tourism Ministry told Trend Feb. 1.
In 2018, 426,900 Kazakh tourists visited Turkey, which is 5.98 percent more compared to 2017, the ministry said. The share of Kazakh citizens in the total number of foreigners who visited Turkey in 2018 was 1.08 percent.
The ministry noted that in 2018, Turkey was visited by 114,900 tourists from Kyrgyzstan, which is 9.55 percent more compared to 2017 and the share of Kyrgyz citizens in the total number of foreigners who visited Turkey in 2018 was 0.29 percent.
In 2018, 241,200 tourists from Uzbekistan arrived in Turkey, which is 23.24 percent more compared to 2017, according to the ministry. The share of Uzbek citizens in the total number of foreigners who visited Turkey in 2018 was 0.61 percent.
The ministry also noted that in 2018, 252,900 tourists from Turkmenistan visited Turkey, which is 9.54 percent more compared to 2017. The share of Turkmen tourists in the total number of foreigners who visited Turkey in 2018 was 0.64 percent.
In December 2018, Bulgaria accounted for most of the tourists who visited Turkey with 206,000 tourists, followed by Germany - 178,000, Georgia - 139,000, Iran - 107,000, and Russia - 99,000.
Turkey’s income from tourism in 2018 increased by 12.3 percent compared to 2017 and amounted to $29.512 billion, according to the Turkish Statistical Institute (TUIK).
Some 81.8 percent of the total income from tourism accounted for foreign tourists and 18.2 percent for Turkish citizens living abroad.
In the 4Q2018, Turkey’s tourism revenues increased by 7.1 percent compared to the same period in 2017 and reached $6.5 billion.
Some 82.6 percent of the total income in the 4Q2018 fell to the share of foreign tourists, while the rest 17.4 percent to the share of Turkish citizens living abroad.
In December 2018, Turkey’s revenues from tourism amounted to $1.4 billion.
On average, every foreign tourist spent $678 in Turkey, according to the TUIK.
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