According to data providing by the Ministry, in the first quarter, number of foreign visitors to Istanbul increased by 8.22 percent compared to the same period of the previous year and reaching 3 million 766 thousand.
Istanbul, which hosted more than half of the 7 million 42 thousand foreign visitors to Türkiye in the first three months, was most preferred by Russians in March.
According to the Ministry of Culture and Tourism data, the city hosted 1,3 million foreign visitors in March, an increase of 8.49 percent compared to the same month last year, making it the locomotive of Turkish tourism industry.
In March, the country with the highest number of visitors to Istanbul was the Russian Federation with 163,548 people, followed by Iran with 121,194, Germany with 115,563, and the United Kingdom with 57,097. The United States followed the United Kingdom with 55,940, France with 40,828, and Italy with 35,446.
In the ranking of visitors from Arab countries to Istanbul in March, Algeria ranked first, followed by Iraq, Morocco, and Saudi Arabia. Lebanon, Libya, Egypt, Jordan, and Tunisia followed Saudi Arabia.
February occupancy rate at 45.67 percent
According to the latest accommodation statistics published by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, the number of arrivals at Ministry-certified facilities totaled 1,003,842 in February of this year.
While a total of 2,205,835 overnight stays were recorded in these facilities, the average length of stay was 2.20 days.
The occupancy rate of accommodation facilities in Istanbul in February was 45.67 percent.
