STORY: Türkiye's foreign tourist arrivals set new monthly record in Jan.
SHOOTING TIME: Recent footage/Feb. 20, 2025
DATELINE: Feb. 22, 2025
LENGTH: 00:01:10
LOCATION: Ankara
CATEGORY: ECONOMY

SHOTLIST (courtesy of Ihlas News Agency):
1. various of Russian tourists in Amasra, Türkiye (Recent footage)
2. various of Iranian tourists in Van, Türkiye (Recent footage)
3. various of tourists on the Taksim Square in Istanbul, Türkiye

STORYLINE:

Türkiye welcomed 2.17 million foreign tourists in January, a 6.1 percent increase from last year's record of 2.05 million for the month, according to data released by the Culture and Tourism Ministry Friday.

Türkiye's tourism sector maintained its growth in 2025 following a remarkable 2024, during which 52.63 million foreign tourists visited the country, surpassing the previous record of 49.2 million in 2023. When including visits by Turks living abroad, the total number of arrivals reached 62.27 million last year.

Iran, Russia, and Bulgaria were the top three sources of foreign tourists in January, according to the data.

In 2024, Türkiye's tourism revenue rose by 8.3 percent to 61.1 billion U.S. dollars, exceeding the previous record of 54.3 billion dollars in 2023.

The Turkish government has set ambitious targets for 2025, aiming to attract 64 million visitors and generate 63.6 billion dollars in tourism revenue.

Tourism remains a vital pillar of Türkiye's economy, generating tens of thousands of jobs each year.

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Ankara.
(XHTV)