TURKEY GENERATES USD 24.5BN IN REVENUES THROUGH TOURISM IN 2021

Turkey generated USD 24.5bn in tourism revenue in 2021, according to the Turkish Statistical Institute (TurkStat). Though it doubled from 2020, the figure for last year fell short of the all-time high of USD 34.5bn set in 2019, prior to the outbreak of the pandemic. The country welcomed 29.4 million visitors last year, an increase of 85.5% compared to 2020, but was down from 51.9 million in 2019. Average tourism expenditures per capita stood at USD 1,029 in 2021, up from USD 926 in 2020. Separately, the Culture and Tourism Ministry also said the number of foreign visits to Turkey had surged 94% annually, from 24.7 million in 2020. As for the nationalities of foreign visitors, Russia took first place with 19%, or some 5 million over the course of the year, followed by Germany (12.5% or 3.1 million), and Ukraine (8.3% or 2.1 million).