The number of visitors to Turkey in the first quarter of 2016 is sharply down according to data released on Friday, suggesting regional troubles are making tourists leery.

Visitor numbers slipped 4.4 percent on a year-on-year basis for the January-March period to over 5.1 million people, according to data from the Turkish Statistical Institute.

The average tourist expenditure - the main source of the country's tourism income - was $717 per capita, compared to $737 in the previous quarter.