Emirati Travelers to Turkey Increases by 28% in 2017

AL BARSHA, UAE - Feb. 25, 2018 - PRLog -- According to the latest data released by the Turkish Consulate General Cultural and Information Office in Dubai, on the visitor statistics from the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries to Turkey, Emirati travelers from the UAE to Turkey increased by 28.83% in 2017 as compared to 2016 figures.

In 2016, 38,315 Emirati travelers from the UAE landed in one of Turkey's many international airports. In 2017, this number increased to 49,360 visitors.

"Turkey's appeal to GCC travelers continues to grow year after year. Most of these travelers come to Turkey as tourists, medical tourists or business guests looking to invest in the country's many lucrative economic opportunities," said Salih Ozer, Attaché of Culture and Information, Turkey to the UAE.

Ozer noted that in real numbers, Kuwaiti visitors continue to increase with 179,938 travelers landing on Turkey in 2016. This number grew to 255,644 travelers in 2017, or an annual growth rate of 42.07%. Bahraini travelers to Turkey also saw growth, rising from 41,505 visitors in 2016 to 59,442 in 2017, or a 43.43% growth.

Turkey's investment in diversifying its tourism sector to cater for medical and business tourists, with substantial growth and investment in the country's MICE sector, has paid off. In 2017, Turkey received a total of 32,410,034 visitors from around the world, as compared to 2016 where the country was visited by 25,352,213 travelers, a 27.84% increase.

This rise in visitor travel has also lead to an increase in tourism based revenues, which grew to US$26,283,656, an increase of 18.9%, as compared to 2016.