Turkey is on track to welcome a record 3m UK visitors this year, smashing the previous record set in 2019.

Official figures from the Turkish Government show that in the first months of the year, the country received 2.8m UK visitors, compared with 2.56m for the whole of 2019.

It said the country would ‘greatly exceed’ its original target of 2.5m visitors by the end of this year.

Mehmet Nuri Ersoy, Republic of Türkiye Minister of Culture and Tourism, said: “Going into 2022, we already had great confidence in the UK market.

“These numbers not only exemplify the importance of the UK to Turkey but highlight our country’s appeal as a year-round destination for British visitors.”

Hays Travel will host its annual Retail Conference in Bodrum in Turkey this week, in the same Lujo hotel that will host the ABTA Convention in 2023.

The country expects to welcome a total of 50 million visitors this year, slightly above 2019 levels.

Turkey has grown in popularity for British tourists this year due, in part, to the fact that it offers better value for money than countries in the Eurozone, including Spain and Greece.

However, to put its tourism figures into perspective, in a typical year, Spain receives 18m British tourists.