site.btaTurkiye Welcomes Record-Breaking Number of Tourists in First Half of 2025

Turkiye welcomed a record-breaking 26.39 million tourists in the first half of the year, generating USD 25.6 billion in tourism revenue, Culture and Tourism Minister Mehmet Nuri Ersoy said at a news conference in Istanbul on Thursday.

Average length of stay continued to decline, the Minister said as quoted by local media outlets. In the first six months of 2025, visitors spent an average of 10 nights in Turkiye, down from 10.1 nights in 2024.

While stays shortened, spending per night rose. In the first quarter of 2025, accommodation expenses per capita reached USD 92.9, increasing further to USD 101.3 in the second quarter.

Foreign tourists spent USD 121 per night on average, up 10% from the previous year, Ersoy said.

He expressed optimism that reservations in September, October and November would exceed seasonal norms. The Minister added that Turkiye is steadily advancing towards its full-year tourism revenue target of USD 64 billion, with a goal of welcoming 65 million visitors.

In 2024, Turkiye welcomed over 62 million visitors, generating a record USD 61.1 billion in tourism revenue and overtaking Italy to rank fourth on the United Nations World Tourism Organization's list of most-visited countries, Turkiye Today reported.

According to data published by the Turkish Statistical Institute (TURKSTAT), Turkiye generated nearly USD 16.2 billion in tourism revenue in the second quarter of 2025, with an 8.4% increase in arrivals compared to the same period last year.

Tourists passing through the country contributed USD 189 million in revenue. Accounting for 16.5% of the total, foreign visitors spent USD 11.1 billion on personal expenses and USD 5 billion on tourist packages.

The number of Turkish nationals travelling abroad increased by 2%, reaching 16.4 million people, according to TURKSTAT data.

Tourism is the top reason people visit Turkiye, followed by visits to relatives and friends, and shopping. When traveling abroad, Turks most often visit relatives. This accounts for 60% of their trips, while 40% travel abroad for tourism.