The number of foreign visitors arriving in Turkey roared back in January, data showed on Monday, as the sector continued to recover from the impact of measures to combat the spread of COVID-19 since 2020.
The arrivals jumped 151% from a year earlier last month to around 1.28 million foreign visitors, the Culture and Tourism Ministry said. The arrivals were still down from the 1.79 million foreign visitors recorded in January 2020.
Turkey began closing borders and restricting activity in March of that year, when its first COVID-19 cases were recorded.
The number of foreign visitors arriving in Turkey soared 94.1% to 24.71 million last year, when COVID-19 measures were eased compared to 2020.
Industry officials say this year’s season is set to take the industry back to pre-pandemic levels, with high hopes that come amid risks such as an escalation in tensions between Ukraine and Russia, which are among its most important tourist markets.
Hotel and tourism officials also warned of soaring costs and sharp increases in utilities, food and wage costs, which could limit profits and broader benefits for an economy that is facing inflation that soared to a 20-year high in January.
The rebound after long setbacks caused by the pandemic that halted travel is seen as boosting the economy, along with the help of a recent decline in the Turkish lira that has made the country a more attractive destination than ever.
The high season starts in May for Turkey’s Mediterranean and Aegean beaches and historic treasures.
Europeans especially are already booking trips, good news for President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s government, which has adopted a new economic policy relying heavily on foreign income to curb the current account deficit.
Istanbul, Turkey's biggest city by population, was the primary point of border entry for foreigners in January with 791,578 visitors using it.
It was followed by the northwestern city of Edirne with 148,016 foreigners and the Mediterranean resort city of Antalya with 117,801 visitors.
Russians made up almost 10.5% of all visitors with 134,215. They were followed by visitors from Bulgaria and Iran, with 109,971 and 106,957, respectively.
But sector officials have warned that a further escalation of the Russia-Ukraine crisis may pose some risk for the season.
Turkey’s tourism revenues doubled to almost $25 billion last year. They were $34.5 billion in 2019, prior to the outbreak of the pandemic. The government forecast income this year to match that of 2019.