The number of international visitors to Turkey surged 14.31% year-on-year to 42.9 million this January-November 2019 period, said the country’s Culture and Tourism Ministry on Monday.
Istanbul, Turkey’s largest city by population and a top tourist draw, was the number two destination, drawing 13.7 million foreign visitors. In November, nearly 2.2 million foreign visitors came to Turkey, up 11.41% year-on-year.
Antalya breaks tourism record in 2019
Record-breaking foreign tourists flocked to the Mediterranean resort city of Antalya in 2019, its governor said Thursday. The figure surpassed 15 million for the year, Munir Karaloglu said. He said tourism in Antalya will continue to grow.
The highest number of visitors to Antalya was recorded at 13,642,000 in 2018. One of the most popular destinations in global tourism, Turkey has broken an all-time record by the end of 2019 by hosting over 45 million international tourists. Turkey aims to host 75 million tourists in 2023, when it celebrates the 100th year of its foundation.