Turkey sees 25 pct rise in foreign visitors in Jan-July

The number of foreigners visiting Turkey in the first seven months of 2018 increased by nearly 25 percent, compared to the same period last year, the Culture and Tourism Ministry said Wednesday.

The figures showed more than 21.6 million foreign visitors arrived in Turkey from January to July, compared to 17.3 million in the first seven months of 2017.

Istanbul, Turkey's largest city by population and one of its top tourist draws, and the Mediterranean resort city of Antalya recorded the greatest number of foreign arrivals, 7.5 million and 6.7 million respectively.

Russians accounted for over 15 percent, or 3.3 million visitors, followed by Germans with around 11 percent, or 2.3 million, and Iranians with 6 percent, or 1.3 million visitors.

The month of July saw arrival of 5.7 million foreigners -- an 11.7 percent year-on-year rise.