Foreign tourist visits to Turkey rise 22 percent in January-November

ANKARA

The number of foreign arrivals in Turkey rose significantly in the January-November period, compared with the same period last year, according to data revealed on Dec. 28.

According to the Culture and Tourism Ministry, more than 37.5 million foreigners visited the country in the first 11 months of 2018, up 22.3 percent year-on-year.

The figures showed Istanbul, Turkey’s largest city by population and one of its top tourist draws, and the Mediterranean resort city of Antalya attracted the highest number of foreign visitors -- 12.4 million and 12.3 million, respectively.

Russians accounted for over 15 percent or nearly 5.9 million of the visitors, followed by Germans with 11.6 percent (4.3 million visitors), and the U.K. with nearly 6 percent (2.2 million).