The number of foreign tourists arriving in Türkiye rose by nearly 2.5% in August, official data showed on Tuesday, taking the eight-month total to almost 36 million.

The count reached 6.82 million last month, led by arrivals from Russia, Germany and the United Kingdom, the Culture and Tourism Ministry said.

Some 939,370 Russians came in August, followed by Germans at 882,703 and the U.K. at 668,079, the data showed.

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

From January through August, the number of tourists rose by 7.1% to 35.8 million, the ministry said.

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.

Russian citizens spearheaded the arrivals, with 4.55 million visitors during the January-August period, followed closely by Germany, with 4.38 million, and the U.K., with 3.1 million tourists.

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

Istanbul, Türkiye's largest city and a major tourist destination, received 34.3% of all foreign visitors, totaling nearly 12.27 million.

The Mediterranean resort city of Antalya followed, attracting 11 million tourists, while Edirne, located in northwestern Türkiye near the borders of Bulgaria and Greece, welcomed 3.36 million visitors.

Türkiye's tourism income climbed to an all-time high of $54.32 billion, compared to $46.48 billion in 2022.

The government expects arrivals to reach about 60 million this year before hitting 90 million in 2028.

The income is envisaged to rise to almost $60 billion by the end of 2024 and $100 billion five years from now.