Turkey eyes 75 million visitors by 2023

By Ahmet Esad Sani

ISTANBUL (AA) - Turkey is eyeing 75 million tourists by 2023, the Culture and Tourism Ministry said Friday.

"The average expenditure per capita is targeted to hit $867 in 2023," Mehmet Nuri Ersoy told a news conference held in Istanbul to reveal Turkey’s tourism strategy for 2023.

The average expenditure per capita was $647 in 2018, as foreigners spent $617 per capita and Turkish citizens spent $801 per capita, according to the Turkish Statistical Institute (TurkStat).

Ersoy noted that the country is aiming for an average per night revenue of $86 by 2023, the nation's centennial celebration.

"We need to concentrate on revenue per night, not per person," he said.

According to TurkStat, Turkey welcomed 45.6 million visitors and earned $29.5 billion in tourism income last year.