ANKARA, Aug. 1 (Xinhua) -- The number of foreign tourists visiting Turkey in June increased by 43 percent to 3.5 million year on year, official data said on Tuesday.
According to Ministry of Culture and Tourism, 12.3 million tourists visited Turkey in the first six months of the year, with 14.5 percent year-on-year increase.
In the first half of this year, Russia was the biggest tourist source market with a total of 1.7 million visitors to Turkey, sharing 13.8 percent in total arrivals. Russia was followed by Germany, Georgia, Iran and Bulgaria in this period.
The three most preferred destinations for foreign visitors in the first half of the year were the historical metropolis Istanbul, Mediterranean side Antalya, and the most western city Edirne.
The sharp rise has shown strong recovery of Turkey's tourism, which was hit by diplomatic crises with Russia and Europe, a failed coup attempt last July and a spate of bomb attacks, which scared away tourists over the past two year.
