According to the figures from the Istanbul Municipality's Department of Culture and Tourism, the number of tourists visiting Istanbul increased 7 percent, compared to the figures from the same period last year. As of May 2015, the Department of Culture and Tourism's data indicates the number of tourists that came to Istanbul via Atatürk International and Sabiha Gökçen airports as well as the ports of Pendik, Zeytinburnu and Karaköy, has surpassed 4,589,041. Moreover, airport arrivals of foreign tourists to the city increased by 6.8 percent, while port arrivals increased by 9.9 percent compared to last year.
Of the tourists who came to Istanbul between January 2015 and May 2015, 92,991 of them were day-trippers who arrived at the Karaköy Port. Additionally, 18 percent of the tourists who preferred to fly arrived at Sabiha Gökçen Airport.
In terms of visitor nationalities, Germans took the top spot with 10.3 percent, while Iranian tourists took second with 5.5 percent. Iranians were followed by Russians with 4.5 percent, Americans with 4.1 percent, the British with 4 percent, the French with 3.8 percent, Saudi Arabians with 3 percent, Italians with 2.9 percent, the Dutch with 2.6 percent, Iraqi and Ukrainians each with 2.4 percent, Libyans with 2.3 percent and Syrians, South Koreans and Chinese with 2.1 percent each.
