Turkey’s tourism revenue to reach $26 billion in 2017: Minister

ISTANBUL

Turkey expects 31.4 million tourists to visit the country this year and tourism revenues to reach $26 billion, Tourism Minister Numan Kurtulmuş said on Dec. 19.

Turkey also forecasts over 35 million arrivals in 2018, the minister told Turkish broadcaster AHaber.

Amid a series of terror attacks, a failed coup attempt and a diplomatic crisis with Russia, the number of foreign tourists visiting Turkey plummeted to 25.3 million in 2016, down from 36.2 million in the previous year. Nearly 36.8 million foreigners visited Turkey in 2014.

The negativities slashed Turkey’s tourism revenue in 2016 to $22.11 billion, down from $31.46 billion in 2015.

“We expect to close 2017 with 31.4 million tourists and around $26 billion tourism earning,” Kurtulmuş said, adding that the number of foreign arrivals in Turkey would likely hit 35 million or more.

He also said that tourism incentives would be offered on a 12-month basis rather than seasonal basis.

“Our aim is to diversify our tourism market. We’ll invite Chinese people, Indians, Indonesians and many others to enjoy a holiday in our country,” the minister added.

Turkey has seen a strong rebound in Russian arrivals as its bilateral ties with Russia has been normalizing.

More than 4.5 million Russians visited Turkey in the first 10 months of the year, marking a 496 percent year-on-year increase, a factor which will be key in giving a boost to Turkey’s tourism revenue.

Turkey’s tourism revenue showed a strong recovery in the third quarter of the year, data from the Turkish Statistical Institute (TÜİK) showed on Oct. 31.

In the third quarter of the year, the country’s tourism revenue rose to $11.4 billion with a year-on-year increase of 37.6 percent, according to TÜİK data.

Although the tourism revenue regressed to $3.4 billion in the first quarter of the year with a 17.1 percent year-on-year decrease, it rose to $5.4 billion with an 8.7 percent year-on-year increase in the second quarter.