TEHRAN – Iranian arrivals in Turkey fell some 18 percent during the first 11 months of the year from the same period a year earlier.

“In January-November 2018, 1.894 million Iranian tourists visited Turkey, 18.17 percent less than the same period in 2017,” the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of Turkey told Trend on Friday.

The share of Iranian travelers in the total foreign arrivals in Turkey was 5.05 percent during the first eleven months of 2018, the ministry said.

“During November, 105,200 Iranian nationals visited Turkey, a decrease of 46.39 percent compared to the same month in 2017.”

Statistics also suggest that 37.5 million tourists toured Turkey from January to November, which shows a 22.25 percent increase year on year.

Experts say Iran’s rial depreciation is the main reason behind the slump, which started in May when U.S. President Donald Trump pulled out from the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, re-imposing new sanctions on Iran’s economy.

Rial weakness has also pushed up costs of air travel and accommodation for outbound Iranian passengers. The situation, on the other hand, has opened up a new chapter for travelers to the country, particularly Iraqi nationals.

Iran hosted some six million foreign travelers in the first half of the current Iranian calendar year (started March 21), which shows 51 percent year-on-year growth.

AFM/MQ/MG