Tourism Revenue Increased in the First Quarter

With the 2022 revision, which is a continuation of the revision carried out in 2024 for Tourism Statistics, the use of data on daily visitors received from the General Directorate of Security began. The sampling design was updated by making calculations based on the type of border crossing used by visitors (sea, rail, air, land). As a result, the planned revisions for tourism income and expenditure were completed and the revision was implemented to cover the period from 2012 to 2023.

Tourism revenue increased by 5,4 percent in the first quarter, consisting of January, February and March, compared to the same quarter of the previous year, reaching 8 billion 784 million 800 thousand dollars. 21 percent of tourism income was obtained from citizens residing abroad who visited our country. Visitors organize their travels as personal or package tours. Of the expenditures made in this quarter, 7 billion 775 million 627 thousand dollars were personal expenses, and 1 billion 9 million 174 thousand dollars were package tour expenses.

The number of visitors departing from our country increased by 2024 percent in the first quarter of 10,1 compared to the same quarter of the previous year, reaching 9 million 10 thousand 90 people. 21,6 percent of the visitors were citizens residing abroad, with 1 million 942 thousand 94 people.

The average nightly expenditure of visitors departing from our country in this quarter was 93 dollars. The average nightly expenditure of citizens residing abroad was 64 dollars.

In this quarter, the share of food and beverage expenditures in tourism income was 22,6 percent, the share of international transportation expenditures was 16,7 percent, and the share of package tour expenditures was 11,5 percent. Compared to the same period of the previous year, food and beverage expenditures increased by 2,8 percent, international transportation expenditures by 11,8 percent and package tour expenditures by 19,4 percent.

VISITORS CAME MOST FOR THE PURPOSES OF "TRAVEL, ENTERTAINMENT, SPORTS AND CULTURAL ACTIVITIES"

In second place was "visiting relatives and friends" with 31,3 percent, and in third place was "shopping" with 9,6 percent. Citizens residing abroad came to our country mostly for the purpose of "visiting relatives and friends" with 73,6 percent.

Tourism expenses, which consist of the expenditures of our citizens residing in the country and visiting other countries, increased by 11,3 percent compared to the same quarter of the previous year and reached 1 billion 779 million 649 thousand dollars. Of this, 1 billion 444 million 620 thousand dollars were personal expenses, and 335 million 30 thousand dollars were package tour expenses.

The number of citizens visiting abroad in this quarter increased by 18,4 percent compared to the same quarter of the previous year and reached 2 million 449 thousand 225 people. Their average expenditure per person was 727 dollars.