Istanbul leads as Türkiye welcomes over 4.3M foreign visitors in early 2025
File photo shows foreign tourists retrieve their luggage at Antalya Airport in Antalya, Türkiye, accessed on March 8, 2025. (AA Photo)
Türkiye hosted more than 4.3 million foreign nationals in the first two months of 2025, with visitors from Iran, Russia, and Germany ranking as the top three source countries, according to the country’s Culture and Tourism Ministry.
Official data show that a total of 56.97 million foreign tourists visited Türkiye throughout 2024 and the first two months of 2025 combined.
During January and February 2025, Iran was the leading source of foreign visitors, sending 463,865 travelers. It was followed by Russia with 371,344 and Germany with 330,070. Bulgaria and the United Kingdom followed Germany in the ranking.
Istanbul retains its prominence as regional tourism hub
In terms of points of entry, Istanbul emerged as the top destination for incoming foreign visitors. The city was followed by Edirne, Antalya, Artvin and Hakkari.
According to border entry and exit statistics, Türkiye hosted 2.17 million foreign visitors in January 2025 and 2.17 million in February.
According to figures compiled by Anadolu Agency, Türkiye ranked among the most preferred destinations in its region in 2024, hosting a total of 62.27 million international visitors. Of these, 52.63 million were foreign nationals, while 9.64 million were Turkish citizens residing abroad.
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