Foreign Tourists Haberleri - Son Dakika Foreign Tourists Haber Güncel Gelişmeler

The number of foreign tourists who visited Istanbul in the first four months of the year has been announced

According to the Istanbul Provincial Directorate of Culture and Tourism, 4,770,533 foreign tourists visited Istanbul in the first four months of 2023. This number increased by 10% this year, reaching 5,244,936. In April, 1,478,218 foreign tourists visited the city, compared to 1,289,903 in April of the previous year. Thus, the number of foreign tourists arriving in April increased by 15% compared to the same month last year. In April, 1,459,083 tourists arrived by air, while 19,135 visited the city by sea. The number of those arriving by air increased by 16% compared to the same period last year, while those arriving by sea decreased by 29%. In April, 1,276 people entered Istanbul through Atatürk Airport, 394,772 through Sabiha Gökçen Airport, and 1,063,035 through Istanbul Airport. From Tuzla Port, 1,799 visitors arrived; from Karaköy Port, 11,702; from Sarayburnu Port, 3,661; from Zeytinburnu Port, 1,279; from Ambarlı Port, 308; from Haydarpaşa Port, 234; from Pendik Port, 150; and from Marmara Port, 2 foreign visitors arrived. Of those visiting the city, 72.86% used Istanbul Airport, while 27.06% preferred Sabiha Gökçen International Airport. RUSSIANS IN THE LEAD According to the April figures, Russians ranked first among foreign visitors with 167,824 people. Following Russia were Germany with 109,202 tourists, Iran with 80,193 tourists, the USA with 68,103 tourists, France with 62,404 tourists, the UK with 60,429 tourists, Saudi Arabia with 42,059 tourists, Italy with 41,195 tourists, Uzbekistan with 31,810 tourists, China with 31,348 tourists, the Netherlands with 31,168 tourists, and Azerbaijan with 28,381 tourists. In April, 11.35% of those who visited Istanbul were Russians, 7.39% were Germans, and 5.42% were Iranians. Among the visitors, 4.61% were from the USA, 4.22% from France, and 4.09% from the UK. Tourists from 199 countries visited Istanbul in April. One person each from Puerto Rico, Nauru, Tonga, Somaliland, Sao Tome and Principe, Samoa, and North Korea visited the city. Two people each from Tuvalu and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines also visited. Additionally, Istanbul was visited by 960 foreign tourists in April 2020, 419,686 in April 2021, and 977,888 in April 2022.

Hagia Sophia will charge foreign tourists

Minister of Culture and Tourism Mehmet Nuri Ersoy held a press conference at the Atatürk Cultural Center to evaluate issues related to the agenda, including tourism data and the restoration of the Hagia Sophia Mosque. 'THERE IS NO CHANGE IN THE PLACES OF WORSHIP OF TURKISH CITIZENS' Minister Ersoy used the following statements in his statement: "We are implementing visitor management practice in Hagia Sophia. Visit quality and security will be increased. Hagia Sophia, our apple of the eye mosque, the common heritage of humanity, our center of attraction, will be included in a very good ecosystem focused on conservation. There is no change in the places of worship of Turkish citizens who visit the mosque for worship. We are changing the entrance gate for visits of foreign citizens. We take them from the door on the upper level where the Topkapı Palace is located, there is a gallery, we put the gallery into service, show them around and let them exit through the exit door. By minimizing the intensity of visits and usage, the quality of visits and worship is increased. Visitors to Hagia Sophia will be informed in 16 languages via the application on their mobile phones. Visits by foreigners will be paid as of January 15. Worship and visit will be free for Turkish citizens."

Foreign tourists expenditure rise 19 percent

The number of transactions made with cards grew by 25 percent on an annual basis, while the increase in the volume of car spending was 12 percent. Foreign tourists’ expenditures rose in line with the increase in international travel arrivals, the report said. Istanbul saw a 16 percent increase in foreign tourist spending, while the mega city’s share in total expenditures was 51 percent. The expenditures foreign visitors made in Antalya, one of the major holiday destinations in Türkiye on the Mediterranean coast, grew 22 percent. Visitors from the U.K., Germany, the U.S., Saudi Arabia and the Netherlands accounted for half of total expenditures. British tourists increased their spending while visiting Türkiye by 34 percent, capturing an 18 percent share in total expenditures. Expenditures by Saudi visitors leaped 298 percent from a year ago, marking the largest increase recorded among all foreign tourists. The shares of American and German tourists in total expenditures were 12 percent and 11 percent, respectively. Foreign tourists spent most on accommodation, which made up 26 percent of all spending. International holidaymakers spent on average 187 on accommodation. The average spending on apparel, supermarkets and restaurants amounted to $94, $16 and $24, respectively. From January to August, 33.4 million foreign tourists visited Türkiye, up 14 percent from a year ago, the Tourism Ministry said last week. European pensioners Meanwhile, Turkish hoteliers are hoping to see an influx of pensioner visitors from Europe in the months ahead. Families with children have already returned home as schools opened, but now European pensioners have started to head to the Mediterranean countries, said Recep Yavuz, the president of the Antalya City Council’s Tourism Working Group. "Pensioners are high spenders; they do not spend their time at the hotel but they travel around a lot,” he said. This group of people, dubbed Best Ager, prefer the fall season to travel and vacation, according to Yavuz. “We have brought pensioners from nine European countries. They traveled to Antalya, Cappadocia, Lycia and the destinations in the Aegean region. They spent the first half of their 14-day stay on cultural tours.” “On each tour, they travel around 1,500 kilometers. They stop at different locations along the way and shop at local stores. This is a big contribution to the local businesses,” he said.

Sinop hosts foreign tourists with cruise tourism

Sinop, which was included in the network of large cruise ships at the cruise summit held in Miami, Florida, USA in 2009, hosted 8 cruise ships in the rest of this year. Nearly 9,000 tourists who came to the city by ships had the opportunity to shop by visiting the historical and touristic places of the city. Tourists swimming on the city's beaches received information about the city from the authorities. Tourists also had the opportunity to visit the Akliman, Hamsilos and Erfelek Tatlıca Waterfalls with the nature route presented to them, accompanied by the guides, and the Sinop Historical Prison and Museum, the Historical Ice House and historical castles with the cultural route. Provincial Culture and Tourism Director Metin Süren told Anadolu Agency (AA) that Sinop is an experienced city in terms of cruise tourism. Explaining that they hosted a large number of cruise ships before the Kovid-19 epidemic that affected the whole world, Süren stated that they started to host large cruise ships in the city again after the epidemic. "Nature and culture route" options are offered to tourists who come to the city by cruise Noting that they offer two different options to the tourists visiting the city, Süren continued as follows: "We have made the necessary plans for this year. We offer two different options, nature and culture route. Our agencies prefer the culture or nature route in line with the requests coming from the ship. So the decision is up to them." Emphasizing that they have already started to make plans for the next year, Süren added that their initiatives continue both in developing alternative routes and in hosting more ships.

The number of foreign tourists visiting Trabzon doubled

In addition to its natural beauties, historical and cultural assets, the city offers many alternatives for sea, highland and mountain tourism to its visitors, and is among the top choices of domestic and foreign tourists. Visitors coming to the city from all over Turkey and especially from Gulf countries spend time in historical and touristic places, especially in Sümela Monastery and Uzungöl. Provincial Culture and Tourism Director Tamer Erdoğan told Anadolu Agency that there is a great deal of interest in Trabzon during the Eid al-Adha holiday. Erdogan stated that according to the data of the State Airports Authority (DHMI), a total of 149 thousand 360 passengers arrived in the city on domestic and international flights during the 9-day holiday. Expressing that they expect the intensity of the holiday to be experienced during the tourism season, Erdoğan said; "Our aim is for the season to be good and for this process to spread until the end of the year. According to DHMI's information, 3,955 direct flights are planned to take place from 24 destinations to approximately 12 countries between 16 June and 31 August this year." Erdogan noted that guests from Qatar, United Arab Emirates, Oman, Jordan, Bahrain, Iraq and Israel, especially Saudi Arabia, preferred Trabzon, and this interest spread in waves to other countries in the region. Expressing that the number of international passengers arriving at Trabzon Airport in the first 6 months of last year was 70 thousand 445, the majority of which were foreigners, Erdoğan stated that this number rose to 125 thousand 29 with an increase of 77 percent in the same period of 2023. "We act in Trabzon with the motto of '12 months of tourism, tourism in all seasons'" Stating that the number of foreign tourists staying in Trabzon in the first half of 2022 was 95 thousand 199, and 205 thousand 550 in the first 6 months of this year, Erdoğan drew attention to the fact that there was an increase of 115.9 percent in the number of foreign tourists staying in the city. Expressing that they hope this season will be a good one, Erdoğan said, "We hope that these numbers will increase with the increasing interest in the city next year. We act with the slogan of '12 months tourism, tourism in all seasons' in Trabzon." Emphasizing that Trabzon is also quite assertive in health tourism, Erdoğan said: "Recently, we made a health tourism visit in Baku with the Provincial Health Directorate and Trabzon Chamber of Commerce and Industry. After the visit, we hosted travel agencies engaged in health tourism in Trabzon, and they examined our health facilities. In the upcoming period, we will host our guests from Turkic republics and other countries in our city. This will add an added value to Trabzon. In the coming days, we will see Trabzon in a wide range of health tourism."

Number of foreign tourists increased in Bodrum

Due to the elections in the Bodrum district of MUĞLA, domestic tourists stopped bookings, while the number of foreign tourists increased by 14 percent. Bodrum Hoteliers Association President Ömer Faruk Dengiz stated that domestic and foreign tourists will start to rise after the election on May 28 and said, "Even if we are a little behind in this period, I think we will get good results in the coming months." In Bodrum, one of the most important tourism destinations in the world, there was a decrease in local tourists as the Presidential elections went to the second round. The number of foreign tourists increased by 14 percent compared to May last year. Bodrum Hoteliers Association President Ömer Faruk Dengiz stated that after the election on 28 May, the domestic and foreign markets will rise, "Last year, there were elections in 14 countries in five continents. Their reflections on tourism were good. Foreign tourists prefer countries such as Egypt when they consider the affordability. Even though we are a little behind in this period, I think we will get good results in the coming months." ELECTION EFFECT Bodrum Hoteliers Association Vice President Alişir Şahin stated that there are holiday opportunities suitable for every budget in Bodrum, and that the reservations have stopped due to the second round of the elections in the domestic market. Explaining that they expect the season to revive in June, especially in terms of domestic tourists, Şahin said, “The diversity is very high in Bodrum compared to other regions. You can have a holiday in Bodrum for 1000 liras or 1000 euros per person."

# Foreign Tourists