Turkish Tourism Sector Expecting 47 Million Visitors

By Justin Mays;

Turkey’s Culture and Tourism Ministry reported receiving 16.37 million tourists in the first six months of 2022. After lifting travel restrictions at the height of the pandemic, this recovery has been vital for the country’s crucial industry as the government aims for a current account surplus. 

On the 28th of July, Culture and Tourism Minister Mehmet Ersoy indicated that Turkey is targeting $37 billion in tourism revenues and 47 million tourists this year, an increment from $35 billion and 45 million tourists. 

The data showed some 83.8% of income in the second quarter was obtained from foreign visitors and 16.2% from Turkish citizens residing abroad. Germans made up the most significant number of foreign visitors from January to June with over 2 million arrivals, nearly fourfold compared to 2022. Russians followed with 1.5 million, Britons with 1.3 million, and Bulgarians with 1.2 million in the first six months. 

41.3% of all foreign visitors (6.8 million) were welcomed in Turkey’s most populous city, Istanbul. Antalya was second with 24.7% (4 million) tourists. Edirne in northwestern Turkey, bordering Bulgaria and Greece, ranked third with a 10.7% share (1.8 million) visitors.

Russians and Ukrainians were Turkey’s first and third biggest sources of visitors in 2021, respectively. Russians accounted for 19% of foreign visitors, with 4.7 million people, while Ukraine was the third-largest at 8.3%, with 2.1 million people visiting the country.