Turkey's megacity of Istanbul attracted some 4.2 million tourists in the first four months of the year, according to media monitoring agency, Ajans Press.

Its data, collected from Turkish Hoteliers Association (TÜROB), showed some 967,000 of these visitors were from Arab countries, corresponding to nearly 25 percent of the city's total tourists during the period.

The report also showed that the total number of visitors to Turkey in the first quarter rose by 45 percent.

A common religion and culture, historical attractions, easy access and the impact of Turkish TV series are among the key factors attracting Arab tourists to Istanbul and Turkey in general.

In 2010, the number of Arab visitors made up only 10 percent of the total number of tourists visiting Istanbul. In 2017, the figure rose to 24.3 percent. Last year, Istanbul hosted some 10.8 million tourists and 2.6 million of them were Arabs. Istanbul also came first in post-search bookings, TÜROB data showed.

Apart from Istanbul, Arab tourists preferred other cities along the Black Sea and the Marmara Sea coasts, including Bursa, Bolu, Abant, Yalova, Giresun and Trabzon.

Among the common holiday resorts, Muğla, Marmaris and Antalya were the top destinations for Arab tourists.