TURKEY HOSTED NEARLY 14 MILLION VISITORS IN 10 MONTHS

In the tourism sector, which has been experiencing a global crisis due to the coronavirus pandemic that has affected the world, Turkey hosted nearly 14 million visitors in 10 months.

According to the data of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism for the January-October 2020 period, a total of 13,652,641 visitors came to Turkey.

Within the total figure hosted in the first 10 months, the number of foreign visitors was 11,200,892.

As for the number of citizens residing abroad, the most recently announced figure for the January-September 2020 period was 2,451,749.

Despite the not-yet-announced data on citizens residing abroad for October 2020, Turkey approached a total visitor figure of 14 million.

Compared with the data from before the coronavirus pandemic, Turkey saw a 72.49 percent decrease in the number of foreign visitors relative to the 10-month period of 2019.

In the ranking of the countries sending the most visitors, the Russian Federation ranked first with 1,911,264 in 10 months, Germany second with 1,037,293, and Bulgaria third with 997,470. Bulgaria was followed by Ukraine and the United Kingdom.

Most Visitors Again from Russia in October

Russian visitors' preference for Turkey remained unchanged once again, and in the ranking of the most visitors, the Russian Federation did not relinquish the top spot in the October 2020 period either.

Last October, Turkey hosted 1,742,303 foreign visitors, a decrease of 59.40 percent compared with the same period of the previous year.

While the Russian Federation ranked first with 489,836, Bulgaria was second with 232,729, and Ukraine third with 155,254. Ukraine was followed by Germany and the United Kingdom.

Provinces with the Most Arrivals to Turkey

In the ranking of the provinces through which visitors entered the country, Istanbul ranked first with 4,154,021.

Antalya was second with 3,099,687, and Edirne third with 1,508,542. Muğla, Artvin, and İzmir were, respectively, the other provinces through which visitors most frequently entered Turkey.