Türkiye sees record tourism growth in 2024, attracting 52.6M tourists

In 2024, Türkiye hosted 52.6 million international tourists, reflecting a 7% increase from the previous year. This tourism growth contributed to a record-breaking revenue of $61.1 billion, according to official data released on Friday.

Top destinations in Türkiye

Istanbul, Türkiye’s most populous city, remained the leading destination for international visitors, attracting 18.6 million tourists in 2024.

The well-known resort city of Antalya, located on the Turkish Riviera, ranked second, welcoming 15.9 million foreign visitors.

The northwestern province of Edirne, which borders both Bulgaria and Greece, ranked third with 4.8 million visitors, while the Aegean province of Mugla attracted 3.7 million tourists.

Tourist nationalities

• Russians accounted for 12.8% of all foreign arrivals, with 6.7 million visitors, marking a 6% increase compared to the previous year.
• Germans followed with 6.6 million visitors, reflecting a 6.9% year-on-year growth.
• Britons totaled 4.4 million visitors, showing a 16.7% increase.
• Iranians represented 3.2 million visitors, with a remarkable 30.9% rise.
• Bulgarians accounted for 2.9 million visitors, showing a slight increase of 0.9%.

Tourism revenue

Data from the Turkish Statistical Institute (TurkStat) revealed that Turkiye’s tourism revenue surged by 18.3% year-on-year, reaching a historic high of $61.1 billion in 2024.