Russians top list of tourists visiting Turkey in 2018

Russian citizens topped the list of foreign tourists entering Turkey through border gates in 2018, according to a Interior Ministry statement released on Thursday.

Officials from the ministry's Directorate General of Migration Management told Anadolu Agency that nearly 6 million Russians came to Turkey last year.

They were followed by over 4.4 million German citizens and more than 2.4 million Bulgarians.

Russia was the first on the list in 2017 as well -- with over 4.7 million visitors, followed by Germany with 3.5 million and Iran with 2.5 million people.

Germans, Russians and British led the way at the border crossings, respectively, in 2013 and 2014, data indicates, followed by Germans, Russians and Bulgarians in 2015, and Germans, Georgians and Bulgarians in 2016.

Turkey also hosted a total of 39,468,492 foreigners who entered the country via land, air, sea or railways in 2018. In 2017, the number was over 32 million.

Some 26.6 million foreigners crossed the Turkish borders in 2010 via land, air, sea and railway.

This figure stood at 29 million in 2011, 29.7 million in 2012, 32.9 million in 2013, 35.1 million in 2014, 34.6 million in 2015, 24.7 million in 2016, and 32 million in 2017.

Given last year's figures, 39.5 million people entered the country, while the number of foreigners leaving Turkey was recorded as 39.3 million in the same period.

Turkey and Russia have been enjoying friendly bilateral ties in the recent years, which is strengthened with reciprocal visits from the presidents of the both nations, as well as cooperation on energy.

Last year, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin had seven one-on-one meetings and 18 phone calls. The last meeting of the duo took place in Moscow on Wednesday.