ISTANBUL, July 31 (Xinhua) -- Turkey's tourism revenue grew by 8.7 percent during the second quarter of this year, following a tough period marked by terror attacks, political instability and international disputes, according to official figures released on Monday.
Turkey made 5.41 billion U.S. dollars from April to June in its tourism sector, a year-on-year increase of 8.7 percent, shows the data unveiled by the Turkish Statistic Institute.
According to the agency, 81 percent of the revenue came from foreign visitors, with the rest from visiting Turkish citizens who reside abroad.
Turkey had 8.9 million tourists in the second quarter, up 18.3 percent over the same period last year, the agency said, noting 7.7 million of them were foreigners.
The data show foreign visitors spent an average of 570 dollars per capita during their stay in Turkey, as against 845 dollars by Turkish expatriates.
"The recovery in Turkey's tourism sector is continuing," Mehmet Simsek, Turkey's deputy prime minister, wrote on his official Twitter account. "But the data of the second quarter reveals that it will take time for Turkey to reach 2014 levels."
Turkey has been roiled by a spate of terror attacks, a failed coup and disputes with some European countries over the past two years, which in turn have scared away many tourists.
