Turkish Airlines has reported, at the ongoing Arabian Travel Market in Dubai, a “significant growth” in the number of inbound and outbound tourists for Turkey and the GCC region.
According to the Ministry of Culture and Tourism in Turkey, the number of GCC nationals who travelled to Turkey in 2016 increased by 10.5% — compared to the previous year – to reach a total of 822,849 visitors, the airline has said in a press statement. The biggest increase pertained to travellers from Saudi Arabia, which saw a growth of 18% to reach 530,410 visitors, while the second-largest increase in tourist numbers was from the UAE at 14%.
The airline also said the top three outbound destinations from Turkey to travel in the GCC region were Jeddah, Dubai and Kuwait, reflecting that the Gulf market continued to be a popular attraction for many.
M lker Ayc?, Turkish Airlines’ chairman of the board and the executive committee, said: “2016 has been a successful year for Turkish Airlines in terms of our global fleet and network expansion as we continue to build momentum for our excellent in-flight and customer service. Our network expansion has also been a pivotal step in supporting the increasing customer demand in all our markets, including the UAE and the wider GCC.
“Through new and innovative features, as well as having a growing fleet, our aim is to provide customers with the best possible options, both in terms of new destinations and innovative products and services.”
Travel onward to Europe from the Middle East has also seen a significant boost this year, according to the airline. A majority of Middle Eastern travellers who chose Turkish Airlines to travel to Turkey and Europe preferred Istanbul, London, Barcelona, Paris, Amsterdam, Bosnia and Herzegovina as their key destinations, while transatlantic destinations – the US and Canada — continued to be the top choices for travel westward, it added.
Further, the statement noted that the carrier had made strides in terms of its overall business performance and experienced growth for both its destination and fleet numbers. The number of international and domestic destinations has reached 299 cities, up from 283 for the same period last year, while the fleet has grown from 306 to 339 in the same period.
Recently launched flights in 2016 and 2017 include Bogota, Panama, Dubrovnik, Atlanta, Kosice, Hanoi, Cluj-Napoca, Seychelles, Havana, Caracas, Zanzibar, Kharkiv, Conakry, Voronezh and Samara.

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