Turkey attracts more tourists than Spain for the first time ever

Tuesday, November 23, 2021

Turkey has attracted more tourists than Spain for the first time ever, said the country’s Culture and Tourism Minister Mehmet NuriErsoy.

Turkey was the first nation in Europe and other nearby destinations to come up with the idea of a “safe tourism certificate”, implementing this certificate program successfully.

As per latest data from the Culture and Tourism Ministry, between January and September,almost 17.6 million foreign tourists visited Turkey, going up by 86 percent compared to the same period of 2020.

In September itself, foreign tourist arrivals in Turkeywent up by more than 59 percent on an annual basis to 3.5 million people.

“Tourism activity in Turkey is going very well. Our tourism revenues may even reach $24 billion this year. We are working closely with tourism professionals, we are working hard,” Ersoy said, stressing the fact that tourists’ per capita spending, which stood at $630 in 2018, has increased to $830 in the first nine months of 2021.

Last year, when the COVID-19 pandemic hit global travel and tourism industries, Turkey witnessed 12.7 million foreign visitors, whereas in 2019, more than 45 million international holidaymakers visited the country.

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