Foreign arrivals in Türkiye jumped by nearly 10% in the first six months of the year, official data released Wednesday revealed, which in addition to rising revenues confirmed the buoyant momentum in the tourism sector persists.
Nearly 21.6 million foreigners visited the country between January and June, Culture and Tourism Ministry data showed, up 10.3% when compared to the same period a year earlier.
Combined with the arrivals of Turkish citizens living abroad, the total arrivals in the six months reached 26.1 million, Culture and Tourism Minister Mehmet Nuri Ersoy told a news conference in Istanbul, evaluating the data.
This marked a 13.9% surge when compared to the first six months last year, Ersoy informed and a 23.6% increase compared to 2019, often dubbed as a golden year for the tourism industry.
The surge in the number of arrivals in the first half extended the period of the positive trend that saw Türkiye end 2023 with a record of 56.7 million in arrivals and keeps optimism for achieving this year's target of hosting 60 million visitors.
Reflecting on the data, the minister provided detailed insight into the period between 2019 and 2024, recalling that while arrivals dropped during the pandemic period, there has been a rising trend afterward.
"The record number, which was 21.1 million before the pandemic, fell during the pandemic in 2019, as you know. Then it started to rise again after the pandemic. Consequently, it reached 19.5 million, then approximately 23 million, and this year, it reached a record level of 26.1 million in the first six months," the minister said in his opening remarks.
He also recalled Türkiye's rapid post-pandemic recovery and said they expected an increase of 5.8% in arrivals at year-end, adding that the growth continues in line with targets.
Emphasizing that the European football championship had an impact on tourism in Türkiye, Ersoy said: "One of our goals was to spread visitors throughout the season for 12 months. In fact, the increase rate in the numbers that can be considered off-season is above the yearly average, just as we targeted."
"We see that we are developing our strategy to spread the season into the period we call low season, in parallel with our strategy," he added.
Considering the monthly figures, the minister said when looking at comparisons between 2023 and this year, there is a significant increase in passenger numbers from January through May.
"You see a decrease in June. You see a slowdown in the rate of increase. This slowdown in the rate of increase will continue in July and August," he noted, referring to the impacts of Euro 2024 and the Paris Olympics.
The sector representatives earlier similarly noted a temporary slowdown; however, Ersoy noted that the growth rate will continue albeit at a slower pace.
Yet, total arrivals in June rose 9.1% year-over-year to 6.8 million, the data showed, compared to 6.3 million a year earlier.
Arrivals in the first six months were spearheaded by visitors from Russia with 2.7 million, followed by Germany at 2.5 million and the United Kingdom at 1.8 million, the minister said.
He attributed the effect of the Euros could be seen in this data as well, predicting that the number of arrivals from Russia and Germany would even out more in the remainder part of the year. He expressed they foresee the arrivals from both countries at around 7 million, indicating that Türkiye is one of the main destinations for German travelers.
Touching upon revenues, Ersoy said that the increase continued in the first and second quarters. "In the first six months, $23.7 billion (TL 785.91 billion) in revenues was generated. It shows that Türkiye achieved a record income."
Voicing optimism for the momentum to carry on, he added, "Hopefully, it seems like we will carry out the process in line with our year-end target of $60 billion."
In terms of the average length of the stay, the minister said it realized 10.1 days in the first half of the year, slightly down compared to 11.1 in 2023 and conveying the year-end target of 9.7.
However, he stressed that the per capita overnight income maintained a positive trend continuously between 2017 and 2024, reaching $109 in the first six months of this year. This figure stood at $103 in January-June last year.
Separate data by the country's statistical office showed on Wednesday that tourism income covering the period of April to June increased by 11.8% and reached nearly $14.9 billion, which officials predicted would positively reflect on current account deficit figures.
"In the first half of 2024, tourism revenues increased by 9.3%, reaching $23.7 billion. It is anticipated that the increasing trends in exports and decreasing trends in imports will continue in the second six months of this year, and the recovery in the foreign trade balance on the goods side will continue," Trade Minister Ömer Bolat said in a post on X.
"We estimate that with the strong course observed in the services surplus, net exports will contribute positively to growth in 2024, and the decline in the current account deficit will continue this year," he added.
The official data showed earlier during the day that the foreign trade deficit narrowed by 30.5% in the first half of the year.
Ersoy, as part of his remarks, touched upon the Kariye Mosque, which was opened for worship earlier this year after an extensive restoration process, and said that starting from Aug. 19 it will be open for worship only on Fridays and visits and worship on the other days. He added that the entrance fee of 20 euros ($21.6) would be introduced starting from this date.
He also touched upon the Culture and Road Festival (Türkiye Kültür Yolu Festivali), a comprehensive initiative binding tourism and culture that he said has spread to 16 cities as of this year and has emerged as a brand hosting numerous activities, exhibitions and concerts.
