UPDATE - Turkey's Q2 tourism income jumped 22.5%

UPDATES WITH MORE DETAILS

By Yunus Girgin

ANKARA (AA) – Turkey’s tourism revenue hit nearly $3 billion in the second quarter of this year, the country’s statistical authority announced on Friday.

The figure was up almost 22.5% from the previous quarter, said the Turkish Statistical Institute (TurkStat).

This April-June, 73.1% of the income – excluding GSM roaming and marina service expenditures – came from foreign visitors, while the rest was from citizens residing abroad.

The average expenditures of visitors in the three-month period stood at $739 per capita.

“In this quarter, while average expenditures per night of foreigners who stayed overnight were $64, average expenditures per night of Turkish citizens residing abroad were $44,” it said.

Some 81.1% of the total tourism income, or $2.43 billion, came from individual expenditures, while package tour expenditures stood at $566.7 million, according to TurkStat data.

The country attracted over 4 million visitors in April-June, up 56.4% on a quarterly basis.

“While 77.3% of visitors were foreign with 3.1 million persons, 22.7% of them were Turkish citizens residing abroad, with over 921,000 persons,” the statement said.

At 70.3%, the primary reason for foreigners’ visits was “travel, entertainment, sports, and cultural activities,” while the number of people “visiting relatives and friends” made up 11.1% of the overall figure, it added.