Each years, tens of millions tourists travel to Turkey, making it one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world. This is due to various things, including a simple and open visa system. The Turkey visa is available to a large number of nationalities, and can be easily acquired online.
Tourist Valhalla
In 2019, Turkije welcomed no less than 46 million visitors, and this number is only set to grow in 2020. In October 2019, a growth of 15% was measured compared to the previous year. It is not difficult to see why Turkey is so popular among tourists. Because the land borders on both the Black Sea as well as the Mediterranean, the country is home to some of the most spectacular beaches in the world. But tourists don’t just come for the beaches. Turkey also has a highly varied landscape, including mountains and woodlands. For the nature lover, Turkey is a very attractive destination. Furthermore,the country has a very rich cultural background, and historical locations that stretch back to antiquity.
Tourism survey
The government of Turkey has set itself the goal to attract 75 million tourists in 2023. Even with the gigantic popularity of the country, this might prove a difficult task. That’s why the Ministry of Culture and Tourism in Turkey initiated a survey to find out exactly why people travel to the country. This was done by analyzing travellers based on their nationality, and the reason for their trip. This way, they could narrow done the preferences of each group of travellers to find out where the country should shift its priorities to. This way, Turkey will be ready for the imminent growth of next year. The results of the survey were as follows:
Russia
It won’t come as a surprise that most Russian tourists go to Turkey to enjoy its sunny beaches. These trips tend to happen during the winter months, where temperatures in Russia can quickly drop to -10 degrees Celsius. In the northern cities and villages this can quickly go down to -30 degrees Celsius. Russia was responsible for the largest number of tourists to Turkey in 2017, and this has also been the case in 2019. The Turkish government is well aware of this, and takes measures to play into this.Travellers from Russia do not require a Turkey visa to travel to Turkey. Furthermore, the popular resorts in Turkey often have Russian speaking employees.
United Kingdom
British travellers also make up a large part of the total number of tourists headed to Turkey. Research has shown that the British can be mostly found in the southern Mediterranean shore of Anatolia. The low prices and historical cities have also been cited as important reasons to travel to Turkey. Unlike the Russians, British travellers do require a Turkey visa to enter the country. But Turkey is also accommodating to its British tourists. The United Kingdom is part of the electronic visa system of Turkey, the so-called e-visa Turkey. This visa type can be applied for entirely online, removing the need to make a trip to the embassy or consulate.
Germany
As primary economic powerhouse of Europe, Germany was high on the list of Turkey’s survey. German tourists seem to enjoy the general hospitality of Turkey, and the modern quality of the various services the country offers. Of course, it also helps that many German cities are only a short flightrip removed from Turkey. Of importance to German tourists are the safety and the cultural activities. The most popular cities are Istanbul, Mugla and Antalya. Regarding the visa requirements, Germany is roughly somewhere in the middle between Russia and the United Kingdom. For trips lasting less than 90 days, Germans don’t require a visa to enter Turkey. For longer trips, a Turkey visa is still required.
Arabic countries
Tourists from the Middle East and North-Africa travel to Turkey to enjoy the food and to shop in the various shopping centres in Turkey. Many Arabic travellers feel comfortable in Turkey due to the shared religious convictions and the similarities in culture. They therefore rarely use guides. The summer periods between June and September are especially popular among Arabic tourists, as the temperatures in their home countries can get exceedingly high. Many of these countries are, like Russia, included in the visa free travel system of Turkey, in order to stimulate tourism from these countries as much as possible.
Turkey visa application
As mentioned above, Turkey possess a modernized electronic visa system. Travellers that fall under this system still need a Turkey visa to enter the country. But compared to the standard paper visa, this visa type can be applied for entirely online. All that is required is to fill in the online application form for the Turkey visa. The United Kingdom is part of this system, and it is therefore no surprise that Turkey is among the most popular tourist destinations for British travellers. Research has shown that an easy visa application system is directly related to the number of tourists that travel to a country. Turkije is naturally well aware of this, and throughout the years has taken concrete steps to simplify their visa system as much as possible.
Please note: this news article about the visa for Turkey is more than one year old. It might contain outdated information and advice, and no rights can therefore be derived from this article. Are you going on a trip soon and do you wish to do know what rules currently apply? Read all about the up-to-date information about the visa for Turkey.