Decline in Turkey tourist numbers slows down in January

By Fatih Erkan Dogan

ANKARA (AA) - The decline in the number of foreigners coming to Turkey has slowed down to a single percentage digit for the first time in the last 12 months, according to a new report issued by the Culture and Tourism Ministry.

“The number of foreigners visiting Turkey in January was 1,055,474, which is a 9.81 percent decrease from a year earlier,” it said.

The figure indicates a sign of improvement in Turkey’s tourism sector, which had been suffering since the November 2015 jet crisis with Russia and terror attacks of last year.

Report showed that Georgians topped the list of visitors with 13.36 percent share followed by Iran (9.63 percent), Germany (7.46 percent), Bulgaria (7.38 percent) and Russia (3.8 percent).

Most significant recovery in tourism numbers were from Russia, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan after Turkey and Russia managed to revive bilateral ties after the jet crisis.

The number of visitors from Russia surged to 81.51 percent in January from a year earlier while visitors from Uzbekistan and Tajikistan soared to 58.95 percent and 44.28 percent, respectively.

Tourism numbers have been a matter of concern recently as Turkey stands at the crossroads of regional conflicts such as Iraq and Syria and also it is fighting against terror groups such as Daesh and the PKK.

Revenues from tourism also have a vital role in the Turkish economy as the country runs a significant amount of current account deficit, which it needs to fund with foreign capital inflow.