Foreign tourist arrivals in Türkiye surpass pre-pandemic levels in January

By Tuba Sahin

ANKARA (AA) - Foreign tourist arrivals in Türkiye surpassed pre-pandemic levels in January, topping 2 million, according to data released on Friday.

It surged from an all-time high January figure of 1.8 million in 2020, just before the onset of the coronavirus in the country, said Türkiye's Culture and Tourism Ministry.

Türkiye had welcomed 1.28 million foreign tourists in January last year, and nearly 510,000 in January 2021, when the world tourism sector ground to a near halt amid widespread travel restrictions as well as airports and national border closures.

Russians made up the largest chunk of foreign visitors to Türkiye in last month, with over 279,818 arrivals, double compared to a year ago.

They were followed by Bulgarians with 167,138 visitors (up 52% year-on-year) , Germans with 139,955 (up 36.4%), and Georgians with 114,508 (up 190.4%).

Istanbul, Turkiye's largest city by population and a top tourist hub, welcomed 59.3% of all foreign visitors, or 1.19 million.

Edirne province on Türkiye's northwestern border with both Bulgaria and Greece, took second place with a 12.1% share, or 242,615 visitors. Resort city Antalya followed with 9.1%, or more than 183,338 tourists.