In a morale boost heading into what promises to be a buoyant summer season, the flow of foreign tourists into Türkiye maintains on pace, signaling a continued momentum within the critical industry that serves as a vital source of income for the economy.
In May, Türkiye welcomed 4.5 million foreign visitors, marking a 16.2% year-over-year surge, the Culture and Tourism Ministry said Friday, propelled by robust flows from Russia, driven by flight restrictions imposed by Western nations over its invasion of Ukraine and alongside strong demand from Europe, led by Germany and the United Kingdom.
Arrivals from Russia rose 76.5% from a year ago to 640,844, the data showed, followed by Germany with 617,617, an increase of more than 24%. The U.K. came in third with an increase of over 12% versus May of 2022's 452,724.
The coastal city of Antalya emerged as the top draw, accounting for 33.6% of the May arrivals and welcoming 1.51 million tourists. Istanbul, the country's largest city and a renowned tourist spot, closely followed with 1.5 million foreign visitors.
The enchanting Aegean province of Muğla and the northwestern province of Edirne, bordering Bulgaria and Greece, also attracted a substantial number of tourists, with 380,899 and 349,123 visitors, respectively.
In January-May, foreign arrivals jumped by 23.7% year-over-year, surpassing the 14 million mark, the Culture and Tourism Ministry said.
Russia constituted the largest portion with 1.8 million arrivals, more than double the figures from the previous year.
The fallout from the Ukraine war played a significant role in driving the surge of Russian visitors. Hundreds of thousands of Russians are also estimated to have relocated to Türkiye last year, attracted by investment opportunities in real estate and other assets.
Bulgarians, Britons and Iranians also contributed significantly to the five-month influx, with nearly 1.1 million, 982,267, and 794,177 visitors, respectively.
Istanbul remained a favorite, attracting 44.7% of all foreign visitors, totaling 6.3 million during the five-month period. Antalya sat second with 22.4% or 3.1 million tourists, while Edirne followed with a 10.5% share, welcoming 1.5 million tourists.
Tourism revenue is critical as President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and his government focus on reducing the current account deficit to tackle stubborn inflation.
Last year’s complete rebound from the pandemic fallout saw the number of tourists near a record, generating all-time high revenues and prompting the government to raise its annual estimates.
The government sees foreign arrivals reaching 60 million in 2023, a figure that it estimates will hit 90 million in 2028. For the income, it sees it rising to $56 billion this year and $100 billion five years from now.
Müberra Eresin, head of the Turkish Hoteliers Association (TÜROB), echoed the government's estimates and said Thursday the industry expects the upward trend in demand to continue in the second half of the year.
"We aim to reach 60 million tourists and $56 billion in tourism income this year," Eresin told an event in Istanbul.
Foreign visitors surged 80.33% to 44.6 million in 2022, just shy of the peak of 45.1 million in 2019. The figure is compared to the 24.71 million arrivals in 2021 and 12.73 million in 2020.
Revenues climbed 53.4% to a record high of nearly $46.3 billion, as lingering pandemic effects dissipated and Russian arrivals rocketed after Moscow launched its invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24.
Last year’s income blew past the previous high of $38.4 billion in 2019 before the pandemic hit. The figure stood at $30.2 billion in 2021 after the outbreak more than halved it to just $14.8 billion in 2020.
Tourism contributes about 10% to Türkiye’s gross domestic product (GDP). In addition, around 1.7 million people worked in accommodation and food services in 2022 – about 5% of total employment.