Considering that the main focus of Erdoğan's economic program is to increase financial interactions with other countries to combat inflation and interest rates, the profits from the tourism industry are deemed vital for Turkey's economy.
Last month, Turkey's Ministry of Tourism raised its year-end targets to 47 million tourists and $37 billion in tourism revenue.
The General Director of the Turkish Hoteliers Association stated: "The statistics for July were strong, just like in August. When we examine room reservations, the number of flights, and the bookings for tours for September, October, and November, it seems that the Ministry of Tourism's goals will be achieved."
He also pointed out the shift of wealthy Russian tourists to Turkey, noting: "Wealthy Russians who used to travel to more expensive tourist destinations like Spain, France, Italy, and Greece have turned to Turkey due to flight restrictions imposed by Western countries."
So far, Germans lead among foreign visitors to Turkey with 2.99 million, followed by Russians with 2.2 million, and Britons with 1.8 million tourists. The total number of foreign tourists visiting Turkey this year has increased by 128% to 23.03 million, which is slightly below the 24.7 million tourists in 2019.
Of course, the decline in the value of the lira has made Turkey a more popular destination for foreign travelers.
Source: Asriran
