Turkey enjoys rise in tourism revenues

Turkey is the Mediterranean country that has benefited the most from foreign exchange revenues through tourism in the first four months of the year, according to research by Visa.

 Foreign tourist spending in Turkey increased by 32 percent in the first four months to 444 million euros compared with the same period a year earlier, the credit card company’s report said.

The research covered France, Greece, Italy, Portugal and Spain, along with Turkey. The total tourist spending in these countries rose by 14 percent in the same period, exceeding 7.5 billion euros. Turkey benefited from this increase the most, the report said. Italy posted 17 percent increase while Portugal followed at 16 percent and Greece ranked fourth at 14 percent.

British visitors spent the highest amount in Turkey at 54 million euros, showing a 7 percent rise from the same period last year. Visitors from the United States, France and Germany followed.

According to the research, Visa-branded debit cards, credit cards and cash withdrawals with pre-payment cards were the most-used tools.

Retail spending by tourists visiting Turkey also increased by 38 percent to 150 million euros during the period in question.

Tourist spending through debit cards and credit cards in Turkey increased by 32 percent and reached 5.3 billion euros in the other countries included in the research, Berna Ülman, the regional general manager of Visa, said in a statement.


/Hurriyet Daily News/