ISTANBUL, April 15. /TASS/. Turkey remains the main tourist destination for Russians, Ambassador to Turkey Alexey Yerkhov said, adding that 6.3 mln tourists from Russia visited the country last year, whereas in 2024 their number may exceed 6.4 mln.

"We expect the number of Russian tourists coming to Turkey to exceed 6.4 mln by the end of 2024. Russia, which sent 6.313 mln tourists to Turkey last year, is still the first in Turkish tourism," he said in an interview with the Ekonomim newspaper.

According to preliminary figures for Q1, the number of foreign tourists that visited Antalya, increased by 25% year-on-year, the diplomat said. "Russians traditionally take one of the first places. Some 172,000, or around 20% of all foreigners that came to Turkey during this time, hold one of top spots. This is why there are all grounds to expect the total number of Russian tourists to exceed last year’s level by the end of 2024," he explained.