First quarter tourism revenues down 9.7 pct

ISTANBUL - Anatolia News Agency

Tourists visit the Ephesus ruins in the western province of İzmir. Turkey’s tourism revenues fell in the first quarter, according to official data. DHA photo

Turkey’s tourism revenues dropped 9.7 percent in the first three months of 2012, compared to the same period last year, according to data released April 27 by the Turkish Statistical Institute (TÜİK).

Tourism incomes were $2.79 billion and tourism expenses were $759 million during the first quarter of this year. Turkey obtained 72 percent of tourism incomes from foreign visitors and 28 percent from Turkish citizens residing abroad.

Tourism expenditure decreased 36.6 percent compared to the same period of the previous year.

“Tourism income, including individual and package tour expenditures, $2.5 billion of tourism income comes from individuals, $303 million of the tourism income comes from package tour expenditure,” TÜİK said. Average expenditure is $664 in the first quarter of 2012. Foreigner’s average expenditure is $594, while the average expenditure of Turkish citizen’s residing outside of Turkey is $943.

Turkish Tourism Minister Ertuğrul Günay had previously criticized the method employed by TÜİK to calculate tourism revenues. Last year’s tourism revenues reached $23 billion according to TÜİK, a number Ertuğrul criticized as falling below the actual figure. Ertuğrul said on April 6 that TÜİK and the Ministry of Tourism were cooperating on a new method of calculating tourism revenues that are set to go into effect in 2013.