Turkey welcomed a total of 27,023,134 foreign visitors in the first 8 months of the year...

In the first 8 months of the year, Turkey welcomed a total of 27,023,134 foreign visitors, an increase of 22.92 percent compared to the same period of the previous year.

The Ministry of Culture and Tourism announced its border entry-exit statistics for August 2018.

In August, Turkey hosted 5,383,332 foreign visitors, an increase of 15.56 percent compared to the same period last year.

In the ranking of countries sending visitors to Turkey, Russia took first place in August with 910,466 people. Germany ranked second with 654,737 people, and the United Kingdom ranked third with 363,433 people. These countries were followed by Bulgaria and Georgia, respectively.

27 Million Foreign Visitors Arrived in the First 8 Months

In the 8-month period covering January to August, a total of 27,023,134 foreigners visited Turkey, an increase of 22.92 percent compared to the same period of the previous year.

Among the countries sending the most visitors during the first 8-month period, the top three were again Russia, Germany and the United Kingdom, respectively. Turkey hosted 4,186,512 visitors from Russia, 2,976,266 from Germany, and 1,576,339 from the United Kingdom. The United Kingdom was followed by Iran and Georgia, respectively.

Tourists made up 98.90 percent of the foreign visitors arriving in Turkey in August, and 99.17 percent of those arriving during the 8-month period.

Provinces with the Most Entries

In August, the provinces with the most entries, compared to the same period last year, were Antalya with a 20.1 percent increase (2,074,498), Istanbul with an 11.4 percent increase (1,391,036), and Muğla with a 9.95 percent increase (535,635).

Muğla was followed by Edirne with 456,419 people and Artvin with 274,804 people.

In the 8-month period, the province with the most entries was determined to be Istanbul, with a 32.84 percent increase compared to the same period last year. A total of 8,874,710 visitors entered Turkey through Istanbul.

Antalya ranked second with a 32.38 percent increase and 8,750,624 people, while Edirne ranked third with a 9.30 percent increase and 2,513,958 people. Muğla ranked fourth with 1,983,316 people, and Artvin ranked fifth with 1,659,085 people.