More than 52.3 percent of Russian tourists chose Turkey as their holiday destination in May, Russia's federal agency for tourism, Rosturizm has said.

In a statement, it announced Turkey as the top destination for Russian tourists this month. "The International Workers' Day and Victory Day in early May saw numerous Russian tourists travel to Turkey, which was followed by Cyprus with 10.7 percent and local destinations with 7.2 percent," the agency said.

Meanwhile, the number of Russian tourists who chose Antalya in the first four months of the year surged by 60 percent, compared to the same period of the previous year. According to tourism officials, around 6 million Russian tourists are expected to visit Turkey this year.

Russia sent more visitors - 4.7 million - to Turkey last year than any other country, confirmed a Turkish Interior Ministry analysis yesterday.

Culture and Tourism Minister Numan Kurtulmuş had earlier said that Turkey will host around 6 million Russia tourists this year.