Türkiye’s tourism income set a nine-month record of $51.28 billion in 2026, with Culture and Tourism Minister Mehmet Nuri Ersoy citing a 2.4% annual gain and 5% third-quarter growth.
Turkish Statistical Institute (TurkStat) data put July-September tourism revenue at $25.526 billion. Visitor spending accounted for $25.294 billion, while transit passengers contributed $231.96 million.
Ersoy said Türkiye received 49.132 million visitors from January through September. Of the total, 5.7 million arrivals came from Russia, 5.17 million from Germany and 3.2 million from the U.K.
The average visitor spent $107.70 per night, 4.6% more than a year earlier. Ersoy put the nightly average at $119.90 for foreign visitors and $72.20 for Turkish citizens living abroad.
Ersoy cited regional conflicts, airspace restrictions and higher energy prices as pressures on aviation costs and international travel demand. The ministry plans to pursue visitors in the U.S., Canada, Asia, Africa and Australia, while encouraging tourism across all 81 provinces and throughout the year. Ersoy linked the diversification effort to lessons from earlier crises and said spreading demand could benefit local businesses, tradespeople and employment.
TurkStat reported that tourism revenue reached a record $65.2 billion in 2025, up 6.8% from the previous year. The government’s medium-term program estimates revenue of $65 billion for 2026, down from its previous $68 billion estimate. It sets targets of $70 billion for 2027, $73.5 billion for 2028 and $78.5 billion for 2029.
