Turkey's tourism income skyrockets by 182% in July-Sept

By Tuba Sahin

ANKARA (AA) - Following a significant fall last year due to the coronavirus pandemic, Turkey's tourism income shot up by 181.8% year-on-year in the third quarter of 2021, the Turkish Statistical Institute (TurkStat) announced on Thursday.

The country earned $11.4 billion this July-September, up from $4 billion in the same period last year when the COVID-19 crisis led to a collapse in international travel. There were travel restrictions worldwide, borders were shut and thus an overall drop in consumer demand.

Turkey welcomed 13.6 million visitors in the three-month period, jumping by 143.4% on an annual basis as restrictions eased and vaccination rollout advanced in many parts of the world.

While 84% or 11.5 million visitors were foreigners, 16% (2.2. million) were Turkish citizens residing abroad.