Foreign card spending soars in January-October
ISTANBUL
Foreigners’ card spending in Türkiye increased significantly in January-October of this year, a report by Mastercard has shown.
Card spending on the Turkish Lira and the U.S. dollar basis grew by 225 percent and 65 percent, respectively in the first ten months of the year from the same period of 2021.
The average card spending by foreign nationals visiting Türkiye was $610.
The province of Nevşehir, which is home to famous Cappadocia, saw the highest increase in card spending at 155 percent.
Nevşehir attracted tourists mostly from Australia, Italy, the U.K, Indonesia and Spain, according to the report.
Foreign visitors’ favorite destinations were Istanbul - 43 percent, Antalya - 20 percent and Muğla - 8.7 percent.
Top three spenders were from Germany, the U.K. and the U.S, found the Mastercard report.
Visitors from Germany accounted for 16 percent of all spending, while the shares of British tourists and Americans were 14 percent, and 10 percent, respectively.
Saudis boosted their spending while visiting Türkiye by almost ten-fold from a year ago.
Türkiye was Kuwaitis’ second most-favorite destination, and their card spending grew 82 percent, according to the report. Their average spending was $1,749, which was three times higher than the overall average card spending of foreigners.
Visitors from the Middle Eastern countries spent most on clothing - 40 percent, accommodation - 22 percent, and shopping at supermarkets and malls - 7 percent.
Europeans spent most on food, while the share of jewelry in total card spending was 10 percent, whereas this figure was only 1 percent in other destinations, where European travelers visited.
Some 39.6 million foreign tourists visited Türkiye in the January-October this year, up 88 percent from a year ago.
