Türkiye - 9,2 millones de turistas en el primer trimestre

Türkiye maintains stable growth in inbound tourism despite the challenging geopolitical environment. In the first quarter of 2026, 9.2 million foreign tourists visited the country, an increase of 4.2% year-on-year. During the same period, tourism revenues reached USD 9.9 billion, also growing by 4.2%.

The data was presented by the Minister of Culture and Tourism, Mehmet Nuri Ersoy, during a press conference in Istanbul.

Stable growth in a difficult environment

As the minister emphasized, the results were achieved in conditions of increased uncertainty on international markets. Factors such as regional tensions, conflicts and volatility in tourism demand continue to impact the global travel sector.

– Crises will occur, but the key is how they are managed. The data shows that Türkiye remains a strong tourist destination, able to respond effectively to changing conditions, Ersoy pointed out.

In 2025, Türkiye welcomed a total of 64 million tourists, generating USD 65.2 billion in revenues, which is a benchmark for current results.

Growing tourist spending

The increase in tourist spending is also a positive signal for the market. In the first quarter of 2026, average spend per person per night was $102, up 2.8% year-over-year.

This trend is part of the long-term improvement in the revenue structure – in 2017 this indicator was USD 68, and in 2025 it reached USD 99.

Key source markets

The largest markets generating incoming traffic to Turkey remain:

• Germany – 678 thousand tourists,
• Russia – 651 thousand,
• Bulgaria – 539 thousand

This structure confirms Turkey’s strong position both on the markets of Western Europe and in the Central and Eastern European region.

International events strengthen the image

An important element of the tourism development strategy is also the active acquisition of global events. Türkiye, and Istanbul in particular, is strengthening its position as a hub for sports and cultural events.

The most important planned events include:

• UEFA Europa League final in May 2026 in Istanbul,
• return of the Formula 1 Turkish Grand Prix to the calendar from 2027.

As the ministry emphasizes, this type of events play a double role – they not only attract direct tourist traffic, but also strengthen the global recognition of the destination.

Conclusions for the industry

Data for the first quarter of 2026 indicate that Türkiye:

• maintains a stable increase in the number of tourists despite the unstable environment,
• effectively increases revenues and expenses per capita,
• bases development on the diversification of source markets,
• consistently builds its image through international events.

For the tourism industry, this means maintaining the high competitiveness of this destination in the 2026 season, especially in the context of tourists searching for destinations offering a favorable price-quality ratio and developed infrastructure.