The World Tourism Organization based in Spanish capital Madrid said that Turkey which drew some 27 million tourists in less than a decade became the world's 7th biggest tourism destination behind France, the USA, Spain, the People's Republic of China, Italy and the United Kingdom.

World Tourism Organization Marketing Director Michel Julian told the A.A that there was an annual increase of 2.2 percent in number of tourists visiting Mediterranean countries between 2000 and 2009, adding that countries such as France, Spain, Italy and Greece suffered a decline following the global financial crisis.

He said that Turkey, on the contrary, reached an annual increase of 12 percent in the same period and became a leading country in the Mediterranean region. Julian said that Turkey increased number of tourists to 25 million in 2009 from 9 million in 2000, adding that increase in number of tourists visiting Turkey would continue in 2011.