Turkey’s tourism sector has had a golden year, according to reports in the country’s Daily Sabah, with Istanbul now seeing a high demand for European tourists on New Year’s Eve, particularly those from Italy and Spain.
New Year’s Eve bookings for hotels in Istanbul have almost reached 100%, of which 90% come from foreign tourists, according to a report in the Daily Sabah. That said, bookings overall reportedly have yet to return to its previous levels.
The Hürriyet newspaper also reported that the Hotel Association of Turkey (TÜROB) vice chair Müberra Eresin said that New Year’s Eve celebrations are in great demand, especially for Taksim Square in the heart of Istanbul and surrounding hotels.
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Ersin said in the report that data from hotels revealed that many of the city’s rooms were booked from Italy and Spain for New Year’s Eve, along with gusts from Latin America and Japan. She was also reported as saying that a number of guests are booked in from Palestine and Iraq.
Reportedly, the tourism sector has experienced a “golden” period this year, and is said to be ending 2018 with a record number of more than 40 million foreign tourists visiting Turkey.