Istanbul has been named the number one city in Europe in the international tourist magazine Travel & Leisure’s “World’s Best Awards 2013”.
Voters from the magazine’s 4.8 million readers placed Istanbul ahead of Paris, Venice and London in the European category, and the city finished second in the worldwide category.
In 2012 Turkey welcomed 31.78 million international visitors, and that number has continued to rise in 2013. In June there was reportedly a 4.93 per cent year-on-year increase in the total number of visitors to Turkey.
The latest update to Turkey’s 2023 Master Plan anticipates that by 2020 nearly 50 million tourists will be visiting the country annually – not including the potential influx of tourists should Istanbul host the 2020 Summer Olympic Games.
