Türkiye announced its 2025 tourism results, reaching historic milestones in visitors and revenue and reports 9.2 million international visitors during the first quarter of 2026.
The country hosted 64 million visitors and generated USD 65.231 billion in tourism revenues. These figures represent an all-time record for Türkiye’s tourism industry.
Türkiye strengthens global position
Mehmet Nuri Ersoy, minister of culture and tourism, confirmed that Türkiye aims to generate USD 68 billion in tourism revenue in 2026. Moreover, he emphasized that Turkish tourism has become a force on both regional and global levels. According to United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) data, Türkiye ranked eighth worldwide for tourist arrivals in 2017. However, by 2024, the country had risen significantly to fourth place globally. Similarly, in tourism revenue rankings, Türkiye climbed from fifteenth place in 2017 to seventh place in 2024. Importantly, the country has moved beyond traditional sea, sand and sun tourism models. Instead, Türkiye now offers diversified experiences across culture, faith, gastronomy, eco-tourism, archaeology, health, cruise, congress and winter tourism. In addition, he underlined the success of the “Heritage for the Future” vision and Night Museum projects. These initiatives, he noted, position Türkiye among a limited number of globally competitive destinations. He also highlighted the promotional miniseries strategy, which achieved significant international digital engagement. For example, one episode of “An Istanbul Story” reached 32 million views globally. Notably, even the least-viewed content surpassed 10 million views worldwide. Overall, Türkiye’s 2025 tourism results confirm sustained long-term growth and strategic global positioning.
Key growth indicators
In 2025, Türkiye welcomed 63.941 million visitors, reflecting continued year-on-year (y-o-y) expansion. Specifically, visitor numbers increased by 2.7 percent compared to 2024 levels. Moreover, compared to 2017, total visitor growth reached an impressive 68 percent. Tourism revenues reached USD 65.231 billion in 2025. Consequently, this represented a 6.8 percent increase compared to 2024 revenue levels. Furthermore, when measured against 2017, tourism revenue growth reached 109 percent. Average spends per night reached USD 100 in 2025. Accordingly, this marked a 3.6 percent increase compared to the previous year. In addition, spending per night rose by 36 percent compared to 2017 levels. These figures demonstrate both quantitative and qualitative improvement in tourism performance.
Türkiye’s top three source markets:
First: the Russian Federation ranked as the largest source market with 6.90 million visitors.
Second: Germany followed closely with 6.75 million visitors during the year.
Third: the United Kingdom contributed 4.27 million visitors to Türkiye’s tourism sector.
Together, these markets played a significant role in overall tourism stability and growth.
Overall, the 2025 results underline Türkiye’s strategic resilience and sustained competitiveness in global tourism markets.
Türkiye records 9.2 Million visitors during Q1 2026
Türkiye welcomed 9.2 million international visitors during the first quarter of 2026, therefore reinforcing its position among leading global tourism destinations. According to Türkiye’s Ministry of Culture and Tourism, international visitor arrivals increased 4.2 percent compared with the corresponding period during 2025. Additionally, Türkiye generated USD 9.896 billion in tourism revenue during the first quarter, reflecting continued growth across international travel markets. Minister of Culture and Tourism Mehmet Nuri Ersoy highlighted Türkiye’s resilience despite geopolitical tensions, regional conflicts, and fluctuating global travel movements worldwide. Furthermore, Ersoy emphasized that Türkiye successfully closed 2025 with 64 million visitors and USD 65.2 billion tourism revenue overall. He explained that Türkiye continuously monitors reservation trends, cancellations, changing travel plans, and consumer behaviors to strengthen tourism performance effectively. Meanwhile, Istanbul continues attracting global attention through international sports, entertainment, and cultural events that enhance Türkiye’s tourism appeal significantly. Türkiye confirmed Istanbul’s return to the Formula 1 calendar with the Turkish Grand Prix scheduled officially from 2027 onward. Additionally, the UEFA Europa League Finals will take place in Istanbul, attracting thousands of international visitors from diverse global markets. Average visitor expenditure per night reached USD 102 during 2026’s first quarter, representing strong growth compared with previous tourism performance levels.
