Turkey’s rise in the global tourism arena has been nothing short of spectacular. In 1999, some 7.4 million tourists visited the country but by 2010, this had shot up to 28 million. The rise in international air traffic has even more dramatic. Over the same period, the number of international air passengers rose by 861% to 44.2 million.

The country offers visitors a plethora of historical, cultural and natural resources. It is also highly accessible, acting as a transit hub for flights traversing Europe and the Middle East. In the last ten years, Turkey has implemented a number of infrastructural developments that have boosted air and tourist arrivals into the country. The Turkish government pursued both foreign and domestic investors actively, and subsequently, vast sums poured into the tourism sector, the results of which are now clearly evident. In the first 11 months of 2010, some US$2.2 billion had been pumped into the tourism sector.

Turkey’s rise in the global tourism arena has been nothing short of spectacular. In 1999, some 7.4 million tourists visited the country but by 2010, this had shot up to 28 million. The rise in international air traffic has even more dramatic. Over the same period, the number of international air passengers rose by 861% to 44.2 million.

The country offers visitors a plethora of historical, cultural and natural resources. It is also highly accessible, acting as a transit hub for flights traversing Europe and the Middle East. In the last ten years, Turkey has implemented a number of infrastructural developments that have boosted air and tourist arrivals into the country. The Turkish government pursued both foreign and domestic investors actively, and subsequently, vast sums poured into the tourism sector, the results of which are now clearly evident. In the first 11 months of 2010, some US$2.2 billion had been pumped into the tourism sector.

Germany, Russia and the UK are the top three source markets for Turkey and in 2010, these three accounted for just over a third of arrivals. However, other markets are now discovering the country, with visitors from the Middle East and the former Soviet states flooding in. Tourists from both regions visit Turkey because it offers modestly priced holidays and good food, and for those from the Middle East, the fact that it is predominantly an Islamic nation also makes it popular.