Turkey has managed to lure tourists in the first half of this year. The country has plenty to offer to them, there are for example the ruins of Troy. Nevertheless, despite the growing numbers of visitors, tourism revenue is somehow dropping. Turkey has witnessed, unlike other popular tourism destinations, a slight increase in the number of U.S. tourists coming to the country in the first half of this year.
From January to April 106,903 Americans visited the country, which is a 2.42 per cent increase when compared to the previous year. The government owned Turkish Airlines also records a growth and it plans to purchase 105 new planes over the next three years. To further support the tourism sector an “Unlimited Turkey,” advertising campaign was launched in April.Not only Americans are coming to Turkey in greater numbers than in past. Also
UK citizens travel to the country more often. The reason is the weakening sterling against euro. Among other Europeans coming to the Asian country are Czechs who like the cities of Antalya, Kuşadası and Marmaris.
There has also been an important growth in the number of tourists coming here from Middle East and North Africa. The number of Israelis visiting the country, on the other hand, has dropped by 60 percent between January and June 2009 as only 91,000 Israeli tourists came to Turkey during this period. Most of tourism revenue comes from foreign tourists but despite the growth of visitors, the revenue dropped 9.6 percent in the second quarter.Turkey definitely has lots to offer to tourists. There are for example a
number of UNESCO World Heritage Sites notably the ruins of Troy which are very popular with foreign tourists. This ancient city known from the blind poet’s Iliad and Odyssey is a great tourism attraction. It is located in Hisarlik near Canakkale province, some 30 km from the Dardanelles. The ancient city was discovered by German archeologist Heinrich Schliemann in the 19th century. Nowadays, numerous tours come to the site by buses. Related:
EUROPEAN HOLIDAYS OUTSIDE THE EURO ZONEISTANBUL’S TRUE AGE – SHOCKING NEW DISCOVERY
