According to the toursim statistics for the first 5 months of 2009, from the Turkish Ministry of Culture & Tourism, people in the UK see Turkey as an attractive place to visit this year.

In the first 5 months of 2009 more than half a million Brits came to Turkey.  Over half of that number came in the month of May.  The figures are 10% up on the same time in 2008.

Overall numbers visiting Turkey are down slightly in the first 5 months of 2009, (0.72%), so the increased number of Brits is more than offset by other nationalities coming less.

The top 5 nationalities visiting Turkey in the year up to May are:

• Germany - 1,204,391 (16.44%)
• Russia - 522,077 (7.12%)
• Bulgaria - 515,891 (7.04%)
• UK - 514,946 (7.03%)
• Georgia - 453,245 (6.19%)

The figures confirm anecdotal reports that people in the UK see Turkey as a more attractive place to come on holiday this year, compared to other potential destinations in Europe, due to current exchange rates. 

Whilst the British pound has weakened against the euro over recent months, the rate of the British pound against the Turkish lira has remained relatively strong (currently around 2.5 lira to the pound), and provides better value.

To see more details, visit the official website of the Ministry of Culture & Tourism