Istanbul, the number one tourist from abroad...The merchants said, "Breathe."

[Anchor]
Istanbul, the Turkiye connecting Europe and Asia, was selected as the most visited city by foreign tourists in the world last year,
It seems to have regained vitality on the outside as the
people flock, but the merchants' sighs are deepening as tourists spend less.

Reporter Lim Byung-in looked at the inside behind the Istanbul tourism boom.

[Reporter]
This is the Ayyapia temple representing Turkiye.There is always no time to step on tourists coming from all over the

district.

The Grand Bazar, Istanbul's leading shopping district, is always full of people coming and going.

Visitor increases sharply as tourism industry recovers after pandemic, Turkiye

In particular, Istanbul was considered the most visited city by foreign tourists in the world last year.

However, the merchants' faces are dark, because tourists' consumption patterns have changed significantly from before.

Istanbul merchants sigh deeply as tourists close their wallets.

Merchants see the decline in tourist consumption as a structural problem caused by high prices and economic difficulties, not a temporary one.

Tourists are closing their wallets tightly due to the fall in the value of Turkiye's currency and murderous inflation.

[Umut / Merchant: Tourists who visit Turkiye react that everything has become more expensive. What should we do if they say so. How can I hold on? Tourists come and stay for 3, 5, 10 days, and leave without shopping.

As a result, the tourism boom in Istanbul has not been good news for both tourists and the people of Turkiye.

Travel industry officials say Turkiye's business district has already entered a phase where it is difficult to make a profit.

[Kim Jun-ki / Local tourism worker: I don't think the number of people visiting Turkiye is increasing much compared to before. I can tell you that our travel agencies are in a bad situation to make a profit....]

Turkiye where the tourism industry is an important pillar of the national economy.

Experts advise that in order to revive the economy, various approaches such as solving structural problems such as price stability and revitalizing medical tourism with great growth potential are urgently needed.

YTN World Lim Byung-in in Istanbul, Turkiye.