The number of foreign tourists arriving in Türkiye jumped almost 23% year-over-year in February, according to official data released on Friday.

The arrivals reached nearly 2.3 million, compared to the 1.87 million recorded in February of last year, the Culture and Tourism Ministry data showed.

The figure lifted the January-February arrivals by 12% year-over-year to 4.34 million, the ministry said.

The foreign exchange it brings makes tourism income vital to Türkiye, which is keen to flip current account deficits to a surplus, prioritizing exports, production and investments while curbing rising inflation.

Foreign arrivals hit a record 49.2 million in 2023, up from 44.6 million tourists who arrived in 2022, driven by visitors from Russia and Europe, mainly Germany and the United Kingdom.

The influx from Russia stems mainly from flight restrictions imposed by Western nations over Moscow's invasion of Ukraine.

Tourism income climbed to an all-time high of $54.32 billion, compared to $46.48 billion in 2022.

Istanbul, Türkiye's largest city by population, saw the largest number of foreign visitors with 1.3 million in February, the Culture and Tourism Ministry figures showed.

The northwestern province of Edirne, which borders both Bulgaria and Greece, ranked second with 268,735 tourists. The famed resort city of Antalya on the Turkish Riviera followed with 222,720 foreign visitors.

Iran unseated Russia and Germany to top the list among nations with 226,104 visitors, double compared to a year ago.

Russians took second place with 203,073, down 11% year-over-year. They were followed by Germans with 187,946 visitors and Bulgarians with 182,887.

The government expects arrivals to reach 60 million this year before hitting 90 million in 2028. The income is envisaged to rise to $60 billion this year and $100 billion five years from now.