Record number of Russian tourists visit Turkey in 2017

PanARMENIAN.Net - The number of Russian tourists in Antalya, Turkey which stood at 25,000 in the first 6 months of 2016, rose to 1.1 million in the same period of 2017. While 7,618 Russian tourists arrived in the city in June last year, this figure rose to 584,000 in the same month this year, Daily Sabah reports.

2017 tourism figures for Antalya, which experienced the worst period in its history in 2016 in terms of tourism, are approaching 2015 figures this year. According to Antalya Airport data, as of June 30, the number of tourists arriving in Antalya reached 2.8 million. While Russians, who accounted for 1.1 million of this figure, ranked first, in the first 6 months, the number of Russian tourists to Antalya trailed the same period in 2015.

From January 1 to June 30, 1.9 million tourists arrived at Antalya Airport in 2016, while this figure reached 2.8 million in the same period this year, an increase of 45.1 percent. Compared to 2015, which is taken as basis by the sector, on the other hand, there was a 12 percent decrease in the same period. With these figures, Antalya is getting very close to the 2015 figures, which is considered one of the best years in tourism.

As many as 645,000 tourists arrived from Germany, one of the two most important markets for Antalya, from January 1 to June 30. The German market was down 24 percent compared to 2016 and 46 percent compared to 2015. 58,000 tourists came from the Netherlands, a 40 percent decrease, followed by Sweden with 22,600 tourists, a decrease of 56 percent, and Norway with 17,000 tourists, a 53 percent decline. The number of Iranian tourists, on the other hand, experienced a 12 percent decline compared to the previous year, at 42,000.

Over 1.2 million tourists arrived in Antalya in June. While the rate of increase exceeded 100 percent compared to June 2016, it dropped by 14 percent in comparison to 2015 figures. The number of Russian tourists reached 550,000 in June, exceeding the same period of 2015. This figure was 7,618 in June last year and 470,000 in June 2015.