The number of early bookings made by British tourists traveling to Turkey in summer soared by 69 percent last December compared to the same month in 2016, Association of British Travel Agents (ABTA) has said.

It added that after two challenging years, the Turkish tourism sector was on the rise again with this remarkable increase in bookings for summer 2018. It predicted that bookings for Turkey may even equal that of 2015.

ABTA said though it did not have the most current data from all travel companies, December 2017 data showed a 69 percent increase over the previous year.

It said in a statement: "After two challenging years, Turkey is rising again thanks to a remarkable increase in bookings for summer 2018. Travel companies are reporting that bookings for Turkey may be close to the levels achieved in 2015. It is no surprise that British tourists are returning to Turkey, as holidaymakers have presented a vacation worth their money in beautiful facilities."

Meanwhile, Turkish Travel Agencies Association (TÜRSAB) data revealed that some 2.5 million British tourists traveled to Turkey in 2015. That figure declined to 1,711,481 in 2016 and to 1,658,715 in 2017.

ABTA's report "Travel Trends in 2018" published at the end of last year read: "TUI travel group achieved a high increase in sales of package tours to Turkey for 2018. Jet2holidays has also launched its biggest winter campaign for 2018-2019. A total of 730,000 seats on flights from Manchester have already been booked."

Thomas Cook, one of the world's leading tour operators, announced in February that the number of customers who want to go on vacation in Turkey has increased.

Thomas Cook CEO Peter Fankhauser emphasized that Turkey is a "destination standing out with its superiority" among all markets this summer.

Fankhauser said Spain was the top destination for tourists followed by Turkey and Greece.