Foreign tourists visiting Istanbul hit 8 million in 2011

ISTANBUL - Anatolia News Agency

Maiden's Tower in the Bosphorus. AA photo

The number of foreign tourists visiting Istanbul has reached 8 million in 2011, official data said.

According to a statement released by the Istanbul Culture and Tourism Department, number of foreign tourists visiting Istanbul surpassed eight million.

In 2010, 6.9 million foreign tourists had visited Istanbul.

German travelers constituted the majority of foreign tourists visiting Istanbul in 2011. They were followed by Russians, Americans, Italians and French tourists.

The number of tourists from Japan, Spain and Israel visiting Istanbul in 2011 dropped compared to previous year.