Türkiye saw a slight increase in the number of foreign visitors in the first two months of 2025 despite a decline in February, official data showed on Friday.

Some 4.3 million tourists arrived in the January-February period, a 0.03% increase from a year ago, the Culture and Tourism Ministry said.

In February alone, 2.17 million foreigners visited Türkiye, down 5.34% on a yearly basis. The same number had arrived in January, which marked a record for the month.

Tourists' arrivals jumped to 52.63 million last year, surpassing the previous high of 49.2 million in 2023. That figure reached 62.27 million when visits by Turks living abroad are included.

Iranians again unseated Russians to become top visitors last month. Some 223,222 Iranians arrived last month, followed by Germany at 179,512 and Russia at 167,611, the ministry data showed.

Arrivals over the recent years have been spearheaded by tourists from Russia and Europe, mainly Germany and the United Kingdom.

Iranians' arrivals reached 463,865 in the January-February period. They were followed by Russians at 371,344 and Germans at 330,070. Bulgaria and the United Kingdom rounded the top five.

Istanbul, Türkiye's largest city by population and a top tourist draw, welcomed 57.8% of all foreign visitors, or nearly 1.25 million, in the two-month period.

It was followed by Edirne in northwestern Türkiye, which borders both Bulgaria and Greece, and the Mediterranean resort city of Antalya.

Tourism is a vital industry that Türkiye relies on to help flip its chronic current account deficit to a surplus.

The sector contributes about 10% to Türkiye's gross domestic product (GDP), and accounts for about 5% of total employment.

For 2025, the government estimates 64 million visitors and some $63.6 billion in revenues. The income jumped 8.3% in 2024 to $61.1 billion and blew past the previous high of $54.3 billion in 2023.