30.04.2026 18:00
Stating that Turkey maintained the strong momentum it achieved in tourism in the first quarter of 2026, Minister of Culture and Tourism Mehmet Nuri Ersoy said, 'In 2025, we hosted 64 million visitors and generated 65.2 billion dollars in revenue. We resolutely continue on our path with an approach that increases both the number and quality in tourism.'
Minister of Culture and Tourism Mehmet Nuri Ersoy shared Turkey's 2025 tourism data and evaluations for this year at the meeting of the Turkey Tourism Promotion and Development Agency.
Stating that Turkey hosted 64 million domestic and foreign visitors in 2025 and generated 65.2 billion dollars in revenue, Minister Ersoy said, "We continue on our path decisively with an approach that increases both the number and quality in tourism. We do not monitor the process from a distance. We act in the field together with the sector, taking fast and effective steps. We will continue our work with the same intensity and determination for the upcoming period. We will monitor global developments instantly, manage risks proactively, and take necessary steps decisively."
MOST TOURISTS FROM GERMANY, IRANIANS STAND OUT Ersoy stated that the upward trend continued in the first quarter of 2026 following this performance, and shared, "While Germany is the country sending the most visitors to our country, we also recorded an increase in per capita nightly spending. Looking at the top 5 visitor countries in the first quarter of 2026, we see that Germany closed the first quarter in first place with 678 thousand visitors. It was followed by Russia with 651 thousand visitors, Bulgaria with 539 thousand visitors, Iran with 527 thousand visitors, and the United Kingdom with 314 thousand visitors."
NIGHTLY SPENDING REACHED 102 DOLLARS Ersoy, noting that the most important data for their ministry is per capita nightly spending, said, "In 2017, this figure was 74 dollars. We said we would change our strategy and move forward with a strategy prioritizing not only quantity but also quality. We have seen the results of this strategy change significantly in recent years. The average, which was 74 dollars, had risen to 100 dollars in 2025. Our target for this year was 103 dollars, and we see that this figure has increased to 102 dollars in the first quarter. So, it has developed in line with our year-end target. We see that the nightly spending of foreign tourists, which was 116 dollars last year, has increased by 2.2% to 119 dollars this year. There is a significant increase in the spending of citizens residing abroad. Nightly spending, which was 67 dollars last year, has risen to 72 dollars, a 7% increase. When we take the weighted average, we see a 2.8% increase, which is proportional to our year-end targets."
TURKEY IS A SAFE AND ATTRACTIVE DESTINATION Underlining that they continue to firmly deliver the message that Turkey is a strong, safe, and attractive destination on a global scale, Ersoy shared the following information regarding the Formula 1 process:
FORMULA 1 REACHED 650 MILLION IN MEDIA REACH "In the Formula 1 process, over 2,000 news articles in more than 50 countries in the first four days created a strong echo in global media, reaching approximately 650 million impressions. While nearly 200 million interactions were achieved on social media, posts from over 177 countries revealed that the organization had a powerful global impact."
TURKEY AMONG TOP 5 COUNTRIES HOSTING THE MOST TOURISTS In 2024, Turkey broke a tourism record by hosting 62.2 million visitors and generating a total of 61.1 billion dollars in tourism revenue. While the number of visitors increased by 9% compared to the previous year, the average spending per person was 972 dollars. With these figures, Turkey ranked among the top 5 countries hosting the most tourists worldwide.