Foreign tourists spend 723 million euros in Turkey, Brits take the lead

ISTANBUL - Hürriyet Daily News

Tourists spend the most on entertainment, according to a recent study. Hürriyet photo

Foreign tourists spent a total of 723 million Euros in the period from September to December 2011, according to the Visa Europe Mediterranean Countries Tourism Report. British tourists spent the most in Turkey with 103.8 million Euros, followed by Russians (69.2 million Euros), Americans (64.6 million euros), Germans (56.8 million Euros) and French (53 million Euros).

The group that had the largest increase in spending in Turkey was Saudi Arabian tourists, with a 49.7 percent increase from the same four month period in 2010. Tourists from Saudi Arabia spent a total of 15.3 million Euros. Other tourist groups which witnessed large increases in spending were the Swedes at 31.1 percent, the 

Germans at 28.7 percent and the Russians at 25.4 percent, according to the report. 
Foreign tourists spent most on the entertainment sector, which witnessed a 41 percent increase from the same period in 2010. Spending on airline tickets was also up by 32.8 percent, while spending on hotels increased by 20.3 percent.