22.5 percent of tourism revenue comes from Turkish citizens living abroad

ANTALYA

More than 6.5 million Turkish citizens living abroad visited Turkey last year, bringing in more than $5.9 billion, the Union of Mediterranean Touristic Hoteliers and Operators (AKTOB) has reported. 

According to its report, this number amounted to 22.5 percent of Turkey’s tourism revenues. Foreign tourists spent $20.22 billion in Turkey over the past year and tourism revenue reached $26.28 billion in total in 2017.

The per capita expenditure of visitors has been estimated at $681, whereas the world average is about $1,000, AKTOB chair Erkan Yağcı, said on Feb. 25.

“We had reached an average per capita expenditure of $850 in 2014 and that was a good number. During and after the crisis of 2016 we had to make huge concessions on prices but now we have left that period behind. Starting from 2018 and especially in 2019, we should target an average per capita expenditure of $1,000,” Yağcı told Anadolu Agency.

The per capita expenditure of foreign tourists in 2017 was estimated at only $630.

32 million foreign tourist arrivals 

The numbers in the report have indicated Turkish citizens residing in foreign countries have reduced their spending during holidays in their home country.

Turks living abroad spent $903 per capita in average during their stays in Turkey in 2017, with a $75 year-on-year decrease.

In total, there were 38,620,346 arrivals in Turkey in 2017, excluding Syrians crossing border gates in Gaziantep, Hatay, Kilis and Şanlıurfa.

Of the total arrivals, 32,079,527 were foreign tourists. The number of Turkish nationals living abroad has reached 6,540,819 with a year-on-year increase of 440,895 people.

The average length of stay of visitors coming from abroad to Turkey in 2017 was 12.7 nights. On average, foreign tourists stayed for 10.6 nights and Turkish nationals living abroad stayed for 22.9 nights.

Turkey’s tourism sector should see revenues grow to $30 billion in 2018, with the aid of new incentives that have been planned for tour operators and rising visitor numbers, Turkish Tourism Minister Numan Kurtulmuş said on Nov. 8, 2017.

The number of foreign tourists could rise up to 38 million, Kurtulmuş added.