Some 582,698 tourists came to Turkey from the Gulf in 2014, an increase of 42 per cent compared to 2013, a senior official said yesterday.
In an exclusive statement to the Anadolu Agency, the Cultural and Information Attaché at the Turkish Consulate in Dubai, Mustafa Ozdemir, said this increase was due to the rise in the number of tourists coming from Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Qatar.
Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and the UAE occupied the first three places among Gulf States visiting Turkey, approximately 341,786 Saudis travelled to Turkey last year, 133,128 Kuwaitis and 53,736 Emiratis.
Ozdemir added that the number of tourists who came from Qatar in 2014 amounted to 29,743 tourists, a 59.7 per cent increase on 2013.
The diplomat predicted that in 2015 Turkey would receive larger numbers of tourists from the Gulf.
He added that in order to achieve this increase Turkey seek to stimulate more visitors and promote itself in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states through advertising campaigns in newspapers and outdoor advertising.
Ozdemir said that the number of tourists who come from the Gulf are lower than those from other countries. Three million tourists come from Germany, 2.5 million from Russia and two million from England.
But the most important characteristic of Gulf tourists, he added, is that they visit Turkey more than once a year – normally three to four times a year – and they spend more money – from $5,000-$6,000 per visit – compared to European tourists who spend no more than $1,000 per visit on average.
Ozdemir said Istanbul remains the most attractive city to Gulf tourists.
He added that medical tourism also attracts people from the Gulf, adding that Turkey has a world class medical treatment especially in the fields of cosmetic surgery, hair transplants and fertilisation.
Box:
582,698
Tourists came from the Gulf in 2014
409,742
Tourists came in 2013