ISTANBUL AMONG EUROPE'S TOP 3 DESTINATIONS
Habertürk – Turkey’s Istanbul continues its rise among the world’s most visited tourist destinations, sealing itself the 3rd place in Europe and 7th in the world, according to a MasterCard survey.
The historic city is expected to welcome 11.6 million tourists this year, coming 3rd in Europe after Paris and London, according to the findings of the US payment company MasterCard’s Index of Global Destination Cities. Having attracted 9.87 million visitors last year, Istanbul will host 17,5 percent more in 2014, the report has forecasted. The city’s revenue from tourism is expected to reach USD 9.38 billion.
Ranking 7th globally, Turkey’s megacity is the fastest growing tourism hotspot in world in terms of arrivals by air, the 132-city index states, as the city received 104.6 percent more visitors via air travel in 2009-2014 period.
According to data from the Istanbul Culture and Tourism Directorate, Istanbul hosted 5.38 million tourists in the first 5 months of this year, a 9 percent increase over the same period of 2013.
Source: www.invest.gov.tr