Turkey aims to host 32.5 million tourists in 2012

Turkey's Culture and Tourism Minister Ertugrul Gunay said Friday that Turkey aimed to host 32.5 million tourists in 2012. About 30 million tourists visited Turkey in 2011 and Turkey's tourism revenues were also up, Gunay was quoted as saying by the semi-official Anatolia news agency. "We can host over 32.5 million tourists in 2012," Gunay said, forecasting that this year's tourism revenue may reach about 24 billion U.S. dollars. Meanwhile, the southern province of Antalya, a popular vacation spot for tourists, reached its target of attracting 11 million tourists in 2011, Antalya Governor Ahmet Altiparmak said earlier this week. Antalya, known as Turkey's tourism capital, increased its tourist numbers by 12 percent from 2010's 10.7 million to over 11 million in 2011, Altiparmak said. Antalya, considering its performance in 2011, wants to continue with its uphill trend and attract even more tourists this year, he added.