Baku, July 17, AZERTAC Some 5.42 million tourists came to Turkey’s largest city between the months of January and May this year, recording an 11% increase year-on-year, the provincial governorate said, according to Daily Sabah.“Istanbul, which is one of the world’s tourism capitals thanks to its historical, cultural and natural riches, set a five-year record by hosting 5.4 million tourists in the first five months of this year. Istanbul is steadily moving closer toward its goal of (hosting) 15 million tourists in 2019,” the statement said.Germany topped the list of visitors by country with 394,925 people. Germany was followed by Iran, from which Istanbul received 337,428 visitors.Russians came in third with 290,985 visitors.According to Istanbul Governor Ali Yerlikaya Istanbul currently ranks third in Europe and 10th in the world in terms of tourist numbers.Since it is possible from Istanbul to reach half the world with a few hours of flight, Yerlikaya said Istanbul Airport has further strengthened the city’s hub identity.