Turkey is hoping that this past April's tourist boom is a sign of what's to come.
Citing new data from the Turkish Ministry of Culture and Tourism, the Daily Sabah reports that the maligned destination hosted 2.07 million foreign visitors last month, an 18 percent increase over April 2016.
An influx of visitors from Russia and Iraq spurred the dramatic rise.
According to the Daily Sabah, the number of Russian travelers visiting Turkey increased by a whopping 485.7 percent last month while the Iraqi citizen count climbed by more than 300 percent. The stellar month has put Turkey slightly ahead of last year's pace, with 5.87 million visitors through the first four months of the year.
It's no secret that Turkish tourism has fallen on hard times in wake of numerous regional conflicts and crises as well as terror attacks and icy relations with Russia due to the latter's involvement in nearby Syria, but the industry also plays a large role in the country's economy.
Turkey celebrated the long-awaited return of Russian tourists last summer. Russia is one of the destination's most critical markets so the fact 181,865 Russians visited in April bodes well for the ongoing high season that runs through the summer.
It remains to be seen whether 2017 will prove to be a significant year of recovery for Turkey's beleaguered travel and tourism sector but it's certainly off to an encouraging start.
[READMORE] READ MORE: How Turkey's Tourism is Struggling [/READMORE]
The U.S. State Department issued an updated travel warning for U.S. citizens considering a trip to Turkey this past March.
"Carefully consider the need to travel to Turkey at this time, and avoid travel to southeast Turkey due to the persistent threat of terrorism," the department states.
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