The number of foreign tourists visiting Türkiye reached 5.1 million in May, official data showed on Tuesday, bringing year-to-date arrivals to a new record as the summer season kicks into full swing.
Last month's arrivals rose 14% from a year ago, the Culture and Tourism Ministry said.
From January through May, the number of tourists soared nearly 12.5% at an annualized pace to 15.8 million, the data showed.
Combined with the arrival of more than 2 million Turkish citizens living abroad, the figure reached almost 17.1 million.
The foreign exchange it brings makes tourism vital to Türkiye, which is keen to flip budget and current account deficits into surpluses. It prioritizes exports, production and investments while trying to rein in stubbornly elevated inflation.
Foreign arrivals hit a record 49.2 million in 2023, driven by visitors from Russia and Europe, mainly Germany and the United Kingdom. Tourism income climbed to an all-time high of $54.32 billion, compared to $46.48 billion in 2022.
The government expects arrivals to reach 60 million this year, and income to rise to $60 billion.
The famed resort city of Antalya on the Turkish Riviera was the top draw, attracting 1.8 million, or 35%, of tourists who arrived in May.
Istanbul, Türkiye's largest city by population and a top tourist spot welcomed 1.7 million visitors.
The coastal Aegean province of Muğla and the northwestern province of Edirne, which borders both Bulgaria and Greece, followed them with 444,271 and 392,550 visitors, respectively.
Russians made up the largest group of foreign visitors in May, with 739,017, accounting for 14.4% of all overseas visitors. They were followed by Germans, with 729,505, and Britons, with 550,592.
In the five months, Germans topped the list with 1.9 million arrivals, a 17% year-over-year jump.
They were followed by Russians with 1.8 million and Britons with 1.2 million.
Istanbul attracted 43.9% of all foreign visitors, or 6.9 million, in the first five months of this year. Antalya followed with a 23.1% share or 3.7 million tourists.