Turkey 'to attract 27 million visitors this year'

Tourism officials in Turkey have revealed that they are expecting this year's number of visitors to rise to 27 million.

Ahmet Barut, chairman of the Turkish Hotels Federation, stated that the country is already attracting more holidaymakers than it did in 2007.

Indeed, visitor numbers during the first half of the year were 15 per cent higher than those recorded 12 months earlier, the Turkish Daily News reports.

As a result, Mr Ahmet is optimistic about the overall figure for 2008 exceeding the amount recorded a year ago.

This is likely to be a positive development for overseas property investors, particularly those who own rental accommodation in Turkey.

According to the Times, one in ten holidaymakers in Turkey are choosing to book lodgings in holiday homes.

The newspaper said this shows that demand for good quality buy-to-let accommodation is strong in various parts of the country.