UPDATE - Turkey's Q2 tourism income jumps over 13%

UPDATE WITH MORE DETAILS

By Tuba Sahin

ANKARA (AA) - Turkey's tourism revenue hit nearly $8 billion in the second quarter of this year, the country's statistical authority announced on Wednesday.

The figure was up 13.2% from the same quarter last year, said the Turkish Statistical Institute (TurkStat).

This April-June, 87.8% of the income -- excluding GSM roaming and marina service expenditures -- came from foreign visitors, while the rest was from citizens residing abroad.

The average expenditure of visitors in the three-month period stood at $625 per capita.

"In this quarter, while the average expenditure of foreigners was $607 per capita, the average expenditure of Turkish citizens residing abroad was $766 per capita," it said.

TurkStat noted that nearly 70% of the total tourism income came from individual expenditures -- $5.6 billion -- while package tour expenditures stood at $2.4 billion during the same period.

The country attracted 12.8 million visitors in April-June, up 15.3% year-on-year.

"While 90.1% of visitors were foreign with 11.5 million persons, 9.9% of them were Turkish citizens residing abroad, with 1.3 million persons," the statement read.

Data showed that visitors spent the most on food and beverages (nearly $1.4 billion), and shoes and clothes ($888.3 million) between April and June.

The primary reason for foreign visitors' trips -- 64.8% -- was "travel, entertainment, sports, and cultural activities," followed by “visiting relatives and friends,” with 11.1%.