ISTANBUL, Turkey (AP) -- Jan and Anita de Bruyne stood outside the Haghia Sophia, a magnificent 6th century building that was once the world's largest church but is now a museum in a country that is 99 percent Muslim.

But the Dutch tourists weren't going inside. 'I've seen it too many times,' said Anita. Jan said it was his sixth trip to Turkey.

The de Bruynes are among some 22 million tourists expected to visit Turkey this year -- an increase of 25 percent over last year, according to figures from the Ministry of Culture and Tourism.

Those visitors include 12 million Europeans and a growing number from the United States who have become enchanted with this country lying on the fringes of Europe and Asia, rich in the ancient histories of many civilizations. Some 334,000 U.S. citizens visited Turkey during the first nine months of 2005, a 47 percent increase over last year, and some 550,000 American tourists are expected next year.

Turkish leaders hope all these visitors will help improve their country's image and deepen ties with other nations -- an effort that has become particularly important as negotiations get underway for full membership for Turkey in the European Union.

The EU talks began October 3, but the proposal remains controversial. If admitted, Turkey would be the only country in the EU that is virtually all Muslim, and it would stretch the borders of the EU east to Iran, Syria and Iraq. The latest polls show only 35 percent of Europeans support Turkey's EU bid, and their views on Turkey's lack of 'Europeanness' are proving stubbornly hard to overcome -- even among Europeans who enjoy vacationing here.

'It's a nice place to come visit, but it's something else to have it as a member of the European community,' said Jan de Bruyne.

Still, tourism is seen as a way to soften these attitudes. 'Tourism must be taken up as a national policy priority, supported by all sectors, groups and organizations,' the government's 2005 'Tourism Master Plan' posted on the ministry's web site says.