Turkish tourism revenue reached $3.4 billion in the first quarter of the year with a 17.1% year-on-year decrease, amid the continuing decline in the number of foreign arrivals, data from the Turkish Statistics Institute (TUIK).
According to TUIK, while some 71.8% of this income, excluding GSM roaming and marina service expenditures, was obtained from foreign visitors, the remaining 28.2% were obtained from Turks residing abroad.
The number of foreign arrivals to Turkey fell to 3.8 million in the first three months of the year with a 6.4% decrease compared with the same period of 2016, according to the data from the Turkish Culture and Tourism Ministry announced.
About 1.6 million foreign tourists visited Turkey in March, with a 4% year-on-year decrease.
While the number of arrivals from Europe continued to decline in March, there was a significant increase in the number of arrivals from Russia in March, data showed.
A total of 565,643 people from European countries visited Turkey in March, with an almost 25% year-on-year decrease.
In the same month, the number of arrivals from Russia to Turkey showed a 145% year-on-year increase, hitting 58,654.
Most tourists arriving in Turkey were from Iran, Georgia, Bulgaria, Germany and Russia in March.
In the first three months of the year, 1.4 million Europeans visited Turkey with a 23% year-on-year increase.
In the same period, 138,039 Russians visited Turkey with a 109% year-on-year increase.
Number of Turkish citizens visited abroad increased by 4%
In this quarter number of Turkish citizens visited abroad increased by 4% compared to same quarter of previous year and reached to 1 million 897 thousand 554. Average expenditure was $ 451 per capita.
Tourism income and expenditure, I. Quarter: January-March, 2017
