ISTANBUL
Istanbul is currently enjoying one of the business periods in the tourist season this year, and first-time visitors to the city are on the rise, says Müberra Eresin, the president of the Türkiye Hotel Association (TÜROB).
class=”cf”>
“The crowds around the Sultanahmet area are an indication of this. The Ministry of Culture and Tourism, the Tourism Promotion and Development Agency (TGA), non-governmental organizations, we are all working to keep this moment alive until the end of the year,” Eresin said, adding that various tourist groups are visiting the city. . .
“People coming from Europe, USA and Latin American countries on cultural tours, cruise passengers visit the Historic Peninsula first. September and October are the high season for cultural tourism in the world and this is the period when people with higher incomes travel,” said Eresin.
The latest official data also confirms that Istanbul is getting its share of growing cultural tourism activity, which has started to recover from the impacts of the coronavirus pandemic.
There are long lines at the entrances of historical tourist attractions, such as Hagia Sophia, Topkapı Palace and the Basilica Cistern.
class=”cf”>
In the first eight months of 2022, more than 10 million foreign tourists visited Istanbul, according to the provincial directorate of culture and tourism.
In the same period of 2021 and 2020, the city of over 15 million inhabitants welcomed 4.8 million and 3.1 million foreign vacationers respectively.
In August alone, the number of foreign tourists visiting Istanbul increased by more than 66 percent year-on-year to 1.6 million. Russians topped the list of foreign visitors. The Germans and Iranians ranked second and third respectively. Saudis and American nationals were also among the top five visitors in August.
