Foreign arrivals rise 7.7 pct in November

ANKARA - The number of foreign tourists visiting Turkey rose 7.7 percent in November from a year earlier, the 24th consecutive month of increase. About 1.27 million foreign visitors arrived in November, up from 1.18 million in the same month of 2007, the Tourism Ministry in Ankara said on its Web site yesterday.

Turkey needs revenue from tourism to help finance its current-account deficit. The global credit crisis threatens to restrict the flow of investment to Turkey and curb exports.

The country earned $18.5 billion from tourism in 2007, 9.5 percent more than the year before.

The current account deficit narrowed in October, as a weaker currency cuts demand for imports. The deficit contracted to $2.6 billion from $3.25 billion in October 2007, according to data from the Central Bank. The U.S. dollar gained nearly 30 percent against the Turkish lira, or YTL, since the start of the year.