Turkey received 5.039 million tourists in the first half of 2002, a 4.7 percent increase compared to 4.815 tourists during the same period last year, reported the State Statistics Institute. Some 2.228 million Turkish expatriates returned for a visit during the same period, a 5.1 percent increase compared to figures from last year.
Some 675,000 tourists visited Turkey during the month of March. Approximately 59 percent of the visitors came from member states of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), a 21 percent increase compared to the same period last year, reported Gumhuriyet. Travelers from eastern Mediterranean countries increased by 27 percent compared to 2001 figures. — (menareport.com)
© 2002 Mena Report (www.menareport.com)
