Tourism revenue holds steady despite regional war’s impact

ISTANBUL

Türkiye’s tourism revenue edged down just 0.1 percent year-on-year to $25.75 billion in the first half of 2026, as higher nightly spending and longer stays offset a decline in visitor numbers, Culture and Tourism Minister Mehmet Nuri Ersoy has said.

The total number of visitors fell 2.4 percent to 25.76 million from 26.39 million in the same period last year.

Ersoy said the regional war involving Iran, Israel and the United States weighed on international travel demand, air traffic and bookings, particularly in the second quarter.

“We believe we have left the most difficult quarter of the year behind,” he told a press conference in Istanbul.

Preliminary data from border crossings indicated that foreign arrivals returned to year-on-year growth in July, Ersoy said, adding that the ministry expected the recovery to continue in the third quarter.

The average length of stay increased to 10.01 nights from 9.96 nights a year earlier. Average nightly spending across all visitors rose to $109 from $106.

Nightly spending by foreign visitors increased to $122 from $121, while the figure for Turkish citizens living abroad climbed to $75 from $70.

Russia remained Türkiye’s largest source market with 2.65 million visitors in the first half, followed by Germany with 2.44 million and the United Kingdom with 1.58 million.

Ersoy attributed the limited decline in visitor numbers to market diversification and overseas promotion by the Türkiye Tourism Promotion and Development Agency.