Turkish domestic tourism spending up over 50 pct in Q2

ANKARA - Anadolu Agency

Turkey’s domestic tourism expenditure increased by 52.9 percent year-on-year in the second quarter of 2017, while the primary purpose of domestic trips was to visit relatives, according to data from the Turkish Statistical Institute (TÜİK). 

From April to June, residents’ spending reached 6.88 billion Turkish Liras (nearly $1.9 billion), up from 4.5 billion liras (nearly $1.55 billion) compared to the same period last year.

“In this quarter, domestic visitors made 110.5 million overnights, while the average number of overnights was 6.2,” TÜİK said on Nov. 7, noting average expenditure per trip was 388 liras (around $108).

According to Turkey’s Central Bank, the average U.S. dollar/lira exchange rate was 3.58 in the second quarter of this year, while one dollar traded for 2.89 liras on average in the same period of 2016.

Official data revealed 14.12 million residents took domestic trips in the second quarter, and the number of domestic trips with one or more than one overnights rose by 46.7 percent on a yearly basis, totaling 17.7 million trips.

Family visits 

The institute said the primary purpose of domestic trips was visiting relatives, accounting for a 68.6-percent share in the April-June period.

“The secondary purpose of trips was travel, leisure, holiday with 19 percent, and the third was health with 5.5 percent,” TÜİK said.

By type of accommodation, domestic visitors stayed mostly at the house of a friend or relative - 76.4 percent of total overnights - while “own house” took second place with 9.6 percent and “hotel” took third place with a 7.5 percent share.

According to TÜİK, the number of residents in Turkey was 79.8 million as of Dec. 31, 2016.

Last year, the country’s domestic tourism expenditure amounted to nearly 28 billion liras (some $9.3 billion), as 68.4 million trips with one or more than one overnights were recorded.

The primary reason for most of these trips - 65.9 percent - was “visiting relatives.”

The second most common purpose was “travel, leisure, holiday” - 21.5 percent - and the third was “health” with 6.3 percent.

In 2016, according to the number of overnights by type of accommodation, domestic visitors stayed mostly at the “house of a friend or relative” -- around 414 million overnights.