Hürriyet Daily News - Turkey has the fastest growing tourism industry in the Mediterranean basin, hosting 19.1 million foreign tourists over a period of seven months in 2013, marking a 10.6 percent increase compared to last year’s figures for the same period.
According to the data issued by the Union of Mediterranean Tourist Hotels (AKTOB), Spain leads in the ranking of Mediterranean basin countries with 34 million tourists between January and July, a 3.9 percent rise compared to last year. Turkey follows Spain with 19.1 million foreign tourists, achieving a growth of 10.6 percent in the seven-month period.
Having witnessed a steady increase in foreign arrivals in recent years - with an annual average of 8.2 percent between 2007-2012 - Turkey is the 6th most popular tourist destination in the world according to the United Nations World Tourism Organization’s (UNWTO) Tourism Highlights 2012 Edition. The country attracted a total of 31.8 million foreign visitors in 2012, achieving a total revenue of USD 23.4 billion.