Tourism Hits a Record High in Turkey

Ankara, TURKEY, December 05, 2003 – Minister of Culture and Tourism Erkan Mumcu announced yesterday that with more than 13 million tourists visiting Turkey in the January to November period, 2003 has been a record year for tourism, in spite of the negative impacts of the Iraq War, the SARS virus and the terrorist attacks in Istanbul.

At a press briefing, Mumcu said, "I do not say that the terrorist incidents in Istanbul did not affect us at all; however, it is not as bleak as we expected."